![\"Phillies\u2019](\"https:\/\/specials-images.forbesimg.com\/imageserve\/68b4437d3696a333482211ad\/Philadelphia-Phillies-v-Washington-Nationals\/960x0.jpg?fit=scale\")
<\/p>\nPhillies outfielder Nick Castellanos has voiced concern over losing playing time. (Photo by Mitchell Layton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Castellanos \u2014 the everyday right fielder for the Phillies for the past three-and-a-half seasons \u2014 is suddenly losing playing time. He recently got benched in favor of Max Kepler when the Phillies faced a right-handed starter. And he got pulled for a defensive replacement on Friday night when Harrison Bader entered the game in the ninth inning to play center field, thus moving Brandon Marsh to left and Kepler to right.<\/p>\n
It was the first time Castellanos was lifted from a game for defensive reasons since June 16 in Miami when he made an \u201cinappropriate\u201d comment to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who benched Castellanos the following game.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Castellanos) makes near the last out in the eighth inning,\u201d Thomson said, \u201cso we put Bader in because he\u2019s the best defender we\u2019ve got. \u2026 I think we\u2019re all at the point now where we\u2019re all-in. Whatever is best for the team to win a game that night, we\u2019re all-in. Check your ego at the door and let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n
But can Castellanos check the ego? \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t need to make a big deal out of this. He\u2019s frustrated because he wants to play and that\u2019s it. I understand that. I wouldn\u2019t respect a guy if he wanted to come out of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a tad more drama to this: Castellanos made sure to mention that it was first base coach Paco Figueroa \u2014 not Thomson \u2014 who told him that he was exiting Friday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
So it was more explaining from Thomson on why he personally didn\u2019t deliver the news to Castellanos.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he was on base (when the eighth inning ended),\u201d Thomson said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to run out there (on the field). I couldn\u2019t tell him before he went to the plate. If he hits a home run, I probably don\u2019t take him out of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best way Castellanos can ensure more playing time: hit better. Over his past 21 games, his slash line is awful: .165\/.214\/.442. And since the All-Star break, he\u2019s batting .192 with four home runs. In the past, Thomson gave Castellanos time to solve his slumps, but it looks like that has changed.<\/p>\n
Castellanos also ranks at the bottome or near it in several defensive metrics \u2014 though some critics say defensive metrics are a bunch of bunk. And for what it\u2019s worth, Castellanos can whip up a beautiful play in the field, especially when the pressure is on, as he did with Friday night gem:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Castellanos \u2014 the everyday right fielder for the Phillies for more than three season \u2014 is suddenly losing playing time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":88423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n