Padres' Nick Castellanos Made Small Adjustment Leading to Major Results

Nick Castellanos's tenure with the Padres is starting to turn around.

Mar 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Nick Castellanos (21) celebrates after hitting a single during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Nick Castellanos took some time to get going in his new role with the San Diego Padres, but lately, he's showing signs of figuring things out.

Castellanos is a former All-Star, and the team has continued to work with him on getting his bat going this year.

On the year, Castellanos has hit just .200 with two home runs and 15 runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .562. The veteran hasn't been given too much consistent playing time, and this was a struggle for him to adjust to.

But San Diego has worked with him to navigate this new reality, and he has been making some adjustments that have started to pay off. Castallenos recently spoke about some mechanical adjustments that he made to help with the lack of playing time.

“I’ve minimized a lot of my movement, just to kind of have a more simple approach, so it’s easier to repeat with the time in between (playing),” Castellanos said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I just spread out a little bit, getting my foot down early and just kind of letting my eyes and hands work. I’d say so far it has allowed me to just focus on the baseball a little bit more and not worry so much about the moves that I’m trying to create."

Going from being an everyday player while with the Philadelphia Phillies to his role now hasn't been easy, but Castellanos has stayed ready. The Padres have given him some sense that, even amid his struggles at the plate, his roster spot was safe. That's seemed to help him turn things around.

Over the last seven games, Castellanos is hitting .292 with one home run and six runs batted in. He also had one of the biggest hits of their season, hitting a two-run home run on Sunday with the Padres down to their final out.

Castellanos is hoping that these changes to his swing and movements will help him whenever his number is called to play.

“Being able to do this — and know that there’s guys that have made careers doing this — I have a lot of respect for those individuals,” Castellanos said of being a bench player. “It’s not easy.”

The Padres are starting to reap the rewards from Castellanos' bat. That has led to manager Craig Stammen ensuring he gets more consistent opportunities in the lineup.

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