Nick Castellanos is getting the George Costanza treatment from the Philadelphia Phillies.
The former All-Star outfielder Castellanos has been told not to report to the team’s complex this week ahead of spring training, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported Wednesday. Gelb adds that there is no locker in the clubhouse for Castellanos and that the Phillies even went so far as to remove a photo of Castellanos that had lined the hallway from the lobby to the team clubhouse (in between the likes of Trea Turner and Alec Bohm).
Castellanos is now reportedly expected to be either traded or released by the Phillies within the next two days. You can read Gelb’s full report on the situation here.
The 33-year-old Castellanos had spent the last four seasons with Philadelphia. He was an impactful player on the Phillies’ 2022 NL Pennant-winning team and later went on to make an All-Star team for Philadelphia in 2023.
But Castellanos has clearly worn out his welcome with the Phillies. Last season, Castellanos hit just .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs and was also a negative WAR player overall. On top of that, Castellanos was benched at one point during the year after a dispute with Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson.
We already heard several months ago that the Phillies were expected to part ways with Castellanos this offseason. But telling Castellanos to stay away and removing every trace of him from the facility is certainly an extra level of severing ties.