The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly in search of a right-handed platoon hitter within the outfield. In idea, they have already got such an possibility on their roster.
Nick Castellanos struggled in 2025, posting a disappointing .250/.294/.400 batting line over his 589 plate appearances, hitting 17 homers and 27 doubles. He additionally struggled with the platoon benefit, posting a .243/.293/.387 batting line with 5 homers and 10 doubles towards left-handed pitching.
That has not been the case over his profession. Castellanos has been a robust possibility towards left-handed pitching traditionally, posting a .294/.344/.509 batting line with 76 homers and 96 doubles in 1,732 profession plate appearances towards southpaws. As Castellanos is within the ultimate 12 months of his five-year, $100M contract, utilizing him as a platoon bat can be a approach to get some worth out of what has turn out to be a sunk price.
Phillies’ pursuit of platoon bat reveals how severe they’re about eliminating Nick Castellanos
As a substitute, the Phillies have one other goal in thoughts. In keeping with Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Phillies are inquisitive about Randal Grichuk as that platoon outfielder.
As was the case with Castellanos, Grichuk struggled in 2025, posting a .228/.273/.401 batting line with 9 homers and 18 doubles over his 293 plate appearances between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas Metropolis Royals. Grichuk has additionally traditionally hit left-handed pitching effectively, with a .268/.318/.500 batting line in 1,672 profession plate appearances, hitting 79 homers and 98 doubles. Whereas Grichuk is unlikely to command a major contract, he can be an extra price to a group that primarily has the identical participant on their roster.
By pursuing Grichuk in free company, the Phillies have underscored their resolution to maneuver on from Castellanos. He had reportedly turn out to be a malcontent, with different gamers and coaches “disgusted” by his feedback to supervisor Rob Thomson. On this case, the Phillies might discover that addition by subtraction is the most suitable choice, even when meaning bringing in a participant with an analogous offensive profile.
