CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to find a new home for outfielder Nick Castellanos ahead of their first full-squad workout of spring training.
Castellanos was benched late last season after he made what Phillies manager Rob Thomson described as “an inappropriate comment” after he was pulled for a defensive replacement. Castellanos said in September that communication with Thomson had been “questionable, at least in my experience.”
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team has been talking to other clubs about Castellanos.
“That’s our focus prior to the start of spring training,” Dombrowski said Monday. “So, that’s something that we’ll continue to work on this week.”
Castellanos, who turns 34 on March 4, hit .250 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs in 147 games for the National League East champions last year. He is going into the final season of a five-year, $100 million contract.
Adolis García is expected to replace Castellanos in right field after he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with Philadelphia in December.
The Phillies’ pitchers and catchers are slated to have their first spring training workout Wednesday. The team’s first full-squad workout is scheduled for next Feb. 16.
Asked whether Castellanos will be in camp if he isn’t traded or released by the time position players are scheduled to report, Dombrowski said: “Well, at this point, we’re doing everything we can to make a move by that time period. So, I’ll leave it at that right now.”
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will be at spring training, but his status for Opening Day seems doubtful.
Wheeler is recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot in his right arm, a situation tied to thoracic outlet syndrome.
“He’s doing well; I don’t think he’ll be ready for Opening Day,” Thomson said. “But it’s not going to be too far behind that.”
Wheeler, 35, led the majors with 195 strikeouts at the time of his injury in August. Wheeler, who has been Philadelphia’s Opening Day starter the past two seasons, went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA last year.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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