Adjusting to diminished role, Nick Castellanos clubs 250th career HR in Phillies win

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PHOENIX (AP) — Nick Castellanos had a good night on Friday, hitting his 250th career homer in a big spot to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2.

It's a sign that the veteran slugger is adjusting to his new role, even if he doesn't seem quite sure why it's necessary.

The two-time All-Star has had fewer at-bats over the past few weeks while struggling through an up-and-down season. A rare highlight came Friday against the D-backs, when he ripped a two-run homer to left to give the Phillies a 5-2 lead in the eighth after entering the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth.

It was his first homer since Aug. 17.

When asked if he was unhappy in his part-time role, the 33-year-old brushed aside the question.

“I’m here, we won a baseball game, I hit my 250th, I have a good relationship with the guys in this clubhouse,” Castellanos said. “I’m here to win. (Owner) John Middleton is paying me money so that I can help the Philadelphia Phillies win a World Series.”

Castellanos has lost playing time in a crowded outfield that includes Harrison Bader, Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Weston Wilson. He said communication with Phillies manager Rob Thomson over his four-year tenure with the club has been “questionable, at least in my experience."

Still, he doesn't want to be a distraction.

“I play whenever he tells me to play," Castellanos said. "I sit whenever he tells me to sit.”

Thomson said he appreciated that Castellanos was trying his best in the new role.

“It's very difficult, it really is,” Thomson said. "For a guy that's played every day since he's come to the big leagues, and probably even in the minor leagues, to take on this role is difficult. I think he's trying to adjust.

“I think after tonight, that tells me something that he's starting to get a feel for it.”

Castellanos is signed through next season on a $100 million, five-year deal. He said he's not thinking about what's in store for 2026 considering what's at stake over the next month.

The Phillies have already clinched the NL East and have won 16 of their past 21 games.

“Why would I do that in front of what we have ahead of us?” Castellanos said. “That would be really selfish and take away with what we're trying to do as a group.”

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