Padres Officially Release Former All-Star After Disappointing Season

The San Diego Padres announced a major roster move Friday that included them quietly releasing a veteran.

Nick Castellanos was officially released by the team after he was designated for assignment earlier this week.

The rest of the roster move included right-handed pitcher Jeremiah Estrada going on the injured list with knee soreness and right-hander David Morgan being recalled from Triple-A.

Additionally, right-handed pitcher Jhony Brito was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A, while Ramón Laureano was transferred to the 60-day IL after undergoing surgery that's expected to end his season.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/cGxw2k8FBJ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 5, 2026

Padres Release Nick Castellanos

The Padres had seven days to trade Castellanos after designating him for assignment, but decided to just release him and pay the remainder of his veteran's minimum salary.

This is the second time Castellanos has been released this year, as he was let go by the Philadelphia Phillies in February, with them paying him nearly $20 million to not play for the team.

The Padres were hoping that the former two-time All-Star would add some length to the back of the lineup, and bring his veteran experience after playing on a team that reached a World Series.

Unfortunately, he never got accustomed to his bench role, and was ultimately cut after 39 games in which he hit .191 with an OPS of .560.

“It just felt kind of trending towards the direction of he wasn’t very comfortable in that role,” manager Craig Stammen said of Castellanos after the team's decision to DFA him. “For him personally, I know he’s got a lot going on with his family and wanting to be around his kids a lot. Maybe this is an opportunity for that. But maybe an opportunity for him to go somewhere else and find a place where he could play every day.”

While the Padres management felt this was the best move for the team, the players seem to feel otherwise.

Manny Machado, the de facto leader of the team, has expressed his displeasure with the move on multiple occasions, most recently saying the players were both surprised and devastated by the decision.

"Obviously the news caught everybody by surprise," Machado said Friday. "I don't really try to put myself in a GM's shoes and know why they're doing the decisions. Obviously we just care about Nick and what he meant to us in the clubhouse.

"So, we were kind of devastated by it."

Earlier in the week, Machado said Castellanos wasn't at fault for the team's offensive struggles.

“The issue is not Nick,” Machado said Wednesday. “I don’t think that was the move to try to make this offense better. For us to get to where we want to get to, it’s going to take the big guys in the middle of the order to swing the bats hot, and we’re not doing that right now.”

In the end, Castellanos' tenure with the Padres didn't last long, and he now heads to free agency where he'll look for his next home.

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