Nick Castellanos says he brought a beer into the dugout and told Rob Thomson that the Phillies manager was too lax with his rules after he was pulled from a game for defensive purposes last June in Miami.
Thomson benched Castellanos the next game for what the club said was an “inappropriate comment.”
Castellanos addressed the benching Thursday after the Phillies released the former All-Star outfielder with one year left on his contract, posting handwritten letters on his Instagram account, where he also thanked fans and the club for the past four seasons.
The 33-year-old said he broke one of baseball’s rules on June 16, 2025, against the Marlins, which led to him being benched. He said he was made aware of a story in the works about the “Miami incident” and wanted to address it before its publication.
Here is what Castellanos wrote on Instagram:
As a veteran of the game of baseball there are rules and I broke one in Miami. After being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family I brought a presedente [sic] into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and to tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning. Shoutout to my teammates and Howie [Howie Kendrick] for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip. (I appreciate you guys). After the game I went Into the office with Dave & Rob. We aired out our differences and the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me. I would like to Note, that I was ready to share the details of the incident in its entirety to the media the next Day but was instructed not to by management. The punishment I received for my actions was the benching the following game.
I love this game, I love being a teammate and I am addicted to winning. I will learn from this.  Â
Shortly after Castellanos’ release, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb posted a story detailing how the two sides got to this endpoint.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters at spring training Thursday that the club released Castellanos after failing to find a trade partner.
“I don’t know that there’s one specific, I know that lot’s being said about this incident in Miami, I don’t think it’s necessarily one incident,” Dombrowski told reporters. “I think you just sometimes are in a situation when you’re around day in and day out, just things just don’t work at a particular time. … Nick’s been a very good player, he’s had a nice career, and he probably will continue to do things very well.”
“But a lot of times when a good player has to role change with the club, it can cause some friction. His role changed last year from where it was — I mean, he played every single day for a lot of years in a row, and so sometimes that can contribute to it,” Dombrowski added. “Sometimes then people have debates between themselves where they’re not all on the same page, but when you put all that together, sometimes you just need to make sure that you have a change of scenery.”
Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million contract with the Phillies in 2022. In four seasons with the club, he hit .260 with a .732 OPS, 82 home runs and 326 RBIs. He made the NL All-Star team in 2023, his best in Philadelphia.
Last season, Castellanos had a .694 OPS in 147 games and saw his playing time shrink after the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline.
In another letter posted on Instagram, Castellanos said he appreciated Phillies fans and their dedication to the team.
“To the people of the city, thank you for showing up these past 4 years. Applauding or booing you were there,” Castellanos wrote. “Remember!! The sharp attention and powerful passion you have for your sports teams are not married to the lens of the media companies that cover them. The color of your collective soul is your own to paint …. together.”
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