Injury Update: Nick Castellanos will not go on minor league rehab assignment, set to return to the Phillies next week
The Philadelphia Phillies have been without Nick Castellanos in their lineup for over three weeks.
On September 2nd, Castellanos went down with an oblique strain that has kept him on the sideline long than the Phillies expected. Earlier in the week, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that he hoped to have Castellanos hitting and ready to return to the lineup against the Cubs if Castellanos was felt ready to play and did not feel that he needed to go on a rehab assignment.Â
Today, we got news that Castellanos will NOT go on a minor league rehab assignment.Â
Nick Castellanos set to return against the Chicago Cubs
It was reportedly a mutual decision and everyone in the organization, including Thomson, was in agreement and now the Phillies hope to have Castellanos back in the lineup against the Cubs next week.
Castellanos led the Phillies in hits before he went down and is hitting .265/.305/.397 on the year with a .702 OPS. He’s crushed 13 HRs and 61 RBIs, with 132 hits and 27 doubles throughout 128 games.
With Castellanos out of the lineup, the Phillies opted for a platoon of younger players that included Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, and Dalton Guthrie. The trio exceeded expectations, slashing a combined .261/.297/.435 during that timeframe.
With just 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Phillies magic number to break a decade-long playoff drought now sits at 9 games. The Phillies are in the midst of a three-team battle for the second and third National League Wild Card spots.
With last night’s win, guided by none other than Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins, they now hold a half-game lead on the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot, and lead the Brewers by 2.5 games.
The Phillies also hold tiebreakers against both the Padres and Brewers.Â
The Phillies have just two home games left, both against the Braves, before ending the season on a 10-game road trip. They’ll face the Chicago Cubs three times, the Washington Nationals four times, and the Houston Astros three times to end the season.
As of now, the Phillies will be in Atlanta the second week of October for a three-game Wild Card series against the Braves.
The Hunt for Red October Continues.
