Phillies notes: How Phillies will use Nick Castellanos, Walker Buehler’s organizational debut, Justin Crawford’s collision

MIAMI — For the third time this week, Phillies manager Rob Thomson has penciled in a starting lineup that does not include Nick Castellanos, the two-time All-Star right fielder who has seen his playing time diminish amid a poor season.

Fresh off a series win over the Brewers, the club with the best record in the major leagues, Philadelphia will start the left-handed-hitting Max Kepler in right against Marlins swingman Valente Bellozo in the opener of a three-game set at the enclosed confines of loanDepot park. Harrison Bader will start for the Phillies in center field with Brandon Marsh playing left.

“Just because those three guys are swinging the bats good,” Thomson said, “and this guy is tougher on right-handers than he is on left-handers. That’s basically what it comes down to.”

That simple righty-lefty thinking has fueled Thomson’s decisions in right field as of late. Kepler had a solid month with a .789 OPS in August, so he’s been getting the playing time against right-handed starting pitchers. Castellanos, an everyday player for his first three seasons in Philadelphia, has sat against three straight righties as the Phillies have stuck to a platoon.

He started against lefty Jose Quintana and the Brewers on Wednesday and had two hits.

This is new territory for the 33-year-old Castellanos, a 13-year big-league veteran. He played in all 162 games last season despite posting a .610 OPS through May. The Phillies are not awarding him the same luxury to play through struggles at this point in 2025. Castellanos has a .699 OPS with 16 home runs, 25 doubles and a -0.6 fWAR in 131 games this year. The right-handed hitter has only a .562 OPS in the second half. He hasn’t produced at the plate and his defense in right field does not grade out well, so the Phillies have looked to other options against righties while still giving him chances when a lefty is on the mound.

Thomson said that Castellanos could be used as a pinch hitter during games he does not start. He was “ready to go” off the bench in Thursday’s win in Milwaukee, but the situation did not arise. Castellanos could potentially hit for one of Kepler or Marsh against a lefty reliever in certain scenarios.

Would Thomson then be open to removing Castellanos for a pinch hitter when tasked with facing a righty reliever in games he does start?

“I doubt if I would,” Thomson said. Castellanos’ splits are close to even for the year with a .698 OPS against right-handers and a .702 OPS against left-handers.

Thomson acknowledged that he’s had to have “more conversations” with Castellanos than he would with a player who’s used to being used in a part-time role. The manager wants to keep Castellanos, who acknowledged last week that was frustrated by his dip in playing time, posted on when he might be needed as a pinch hitter and make sure the two are on the same page.

“With Nick, I have to do that,” Thomson said. “I have to communicate a lot.”

Phillies notes

• Right-hander Walker Buehler is still on track to make his organization debut on Saturday, Thomson said. He’ll start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and go four or five innings and throw “anywhere from 65 to 75 pitches.”
  
  Buehler, a former All-Star who was released by the Red Sox last month with a 5.45 ERA in 23 starts, signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies this past Sunday. The plan is for him to make one outing with the IronPigs before joining the big-league team on Sept. 12 to form a six-man starting rotation.
• Justin Crawford, one of the top prospects in Philadelphia’s system, will be evaluated for a concussion after a “nasty” collision in the outfield during Lehigh Valley’s game on Thursday, Thomson said. The manager also said that Crawford “chipped a couple of teeth.”
  
  The 21-year-old Crawford is batting .334 with 46 stolen bases in 112 Triple-A games this season.