Castellanos returns to Philadelphia, says he has no regrets

PHILADELPHIA --Nick Castellanos sat shirtless, legs stretched out and right foot up on a clubhouse chair, and struck a bit of a nostalgic mood in his return to Philadelphia.

The Padres outfielder gave a shoutout to stadium employees he befriended - saying hello to "Luke from the gift shop" - and recalled the joyous times from his four years of playing right field for the Phillies. His walk-off hit against the Mets in Game 2 of the 2024 NL Division Series was a highlight, and so was his game-ending catch when the Phillies clinched the 2022 NL pennant and he gave the game ball to reliever Ranger Suárez.

As for the end of his tenure, when Castellanos was released in February just ahead of Philadelphia's first full-squad workout at spring training, he wasn't much for looking back. The Phillies released him even though they owed him $20 million for the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract.

"My phone was on," Castellanos said ahead of Tuesday's game. "All they needed was a conversation like, this is going to be your role. Apparently, they thought it was just best for the organization that my personality wasn't in the clubhouse."

Castellanos developed a strained relationship with the Phillies in his final season, when his behavior - even more than his sagging production - became too much for the organization. The lowlight: Castellanos brought a Presidente beer into the dugout last June after he was removed from a game, which he admitted in a four-page, handwritten letter he posted to social media after his release.

"Not everything that anybody does is all positive," Castellanos said. "It's not all negative. I had highs, I had lows."

Another high: Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive postseason games, doing it against in Atlanta in 2023 to send the Phillies to the NLCS.

Castellanos said he appreciated playing close to his wife's family in New Jersey and how his young son, Liam, became such a fixture rooting on his dad and shagging balls in the outfield that he turned into a local celebrity. Castellanos joked he would tell Liam he needed to start walking around the Citizens Bank Park concourse with a pen because fans often stopped him for photos and autographs.

"I had a good four years here," Castellanos said.

Castellanos wasn't in the lineup against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, and he went just 1 for 8 without an RBI or run scored in three games last week at San Diego. A once-dangerous slugger, Castellanos entered Tuesday batting .191 with four homers in 39 games this season.

He wore flip-flops and a T-shirt as he mingled Tuesday behind the batting cage with former teammates, including pitcherJesus Luzardo. Castellanos offered little opinion as to how he might be received by Phillies fans in his first at-bat of the three-game series, but he noted he has more fans rooting him on than not.

"Any time I run into anybody that's a Phillies fan, away from cameras, away from the field, I get nothing but a lot of love and positivity," Castellanos said. "I appreciate that. I spoke my mind, I went about my business, I played every day, I never really hid on the IL. I really wanted to win a ring.

"Did I do everything 100 percent correct? Probably not. Did I act true to my heart and how I felt in the moment? 100 percent."