Phillies Players Were 'Disgusted' by Nick Castellanos' Past Comments to Rob Thomson

It seems like no everyone in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse brushed what was said by Nick Castellanos to Rob Thomson under the rug.

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Now that the mourning period is over for the Philadelphia Phillies following another season that ended in disappointing fashion, things are starting to come out regarding an incident that occurred back in the summer between Nick Castellanos and Rob Thomson.

In a strange state of affairs, the slugger was out of the lineup for the first time in 236 games. It was later revealed that Castellanos was benched for comments he made to Thomson that were deemed "inappropriate."

Whatever happened seemed to be put behind everyone, but it was clear that there was tension between the two parties, as Castellanos later remarked that he rarely spoke with Thomson during the latter stages of the season when he had his role reduced from an everyday player to a platoon option.

Still, it appeared like whatever occurred that day was either water under the bridge or something only those two were dealing with since it didn't affect anyone else on the team directly. However, apparently that wasn't the case.

Phillies Players, Coaches Reportedly Were 'Disgusted' by Those Comments

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According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required), it seems like there were many people inside the clubhouse who could not get past what was said to Thomson by Castellanos.

"A growing discontent between Castellanos and the Phillies became public during the season when, in June, Rob Thomson benched Castellanos for an 'inappropriate comment' following the manager's decision to lift Castellanos for defense late in a game. The dugout incident, numerous team sources said, left players and coaches alike disgusted. The lines had been drawn," the insider reported.

It's pretty remarkable that it took this long for a bombshell like that to get out, even if there's another side to the story. It should also be pointed out that Castellanos has always been spoken highly of by his teammates, and him rushing to console Orion Kerkerking after his season-ending mistake is an example of why that's the case.

How much of a fracture there was in the clubhouse and who those players and coaches are that were reportedly "disgusted" by those comments isn't clear. But it's blatantly obvious at this point that Castellanos will not be back in Philadelphia for the 2026 season.

Whether it's through a trade or via a release, the team is already planning for a future without the slugging outfielder who they envisioned to be a major difference maker for them when they signed him ahead of the 2022 campaign.

And based on this report from Gelb, it seems like that's the best thing for the Phillies going forward.

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