Nick Castellanos Released By Phillies After Crazy Incident Involving Beer In The Dugout

Just a few years ago, Nick Castellanos was an integral part of what seemed to be a dominant Philadelphia Phillies lineup. 

After helping lead the Phillies to a World Series appearance in 2022, he had a very productive 2023 season offensively. Castellanos hit 29 home runs, scored 79 runs, added 106 runs batted in, stole 11 bases, and hit .272/.311/.476. Fast-forward a few seasons, and Castellanos was just released by Philadelphia as pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training. 

So, what happened? 

Well, Castellanos' production declined precipitously in 2025, with just 17 home runs and an on base percentage under .300. His defense, never his best skill, has gotten even worse, with a combined -34.9 run value in 2024-2025, per Fangraphs. Still, you don't see teams release players owed $20 million very often. And it turns out, as a new report, and some information from Castellanos himself has revealed, that it was a series of disagreements between him and the organization that led to this outcome. 

Including one incident where he quite literally brought an open beer into the dugout. What on earth? 

Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)

Nick Castellanos Made Bizarre, Inexplicable Decision In Phillies Dugout

A new report from Matt Gelb at The Athletic went into detail on exactly what happened between Castellanos and the Phillies, but it started when he "cracked open a Presidente beer and carried the green bottle into the Phillies dugout in the middle of a game."

How did he think that was acceptable? Well, per the article, he felt he'd been "disrespected at the highest level." 

"The beer served as a prop," Gelb writes. "If not in the game, Castellanos was on vacation. He yelled at the coaches and manager Rob Thomson while teammates watched."

Several players tried to get Castellanos out of the dugout, and a team special assistant, Howie Kendrick, grabbed the beer to make sure it wasn't shown on camera or became part of a bigger story. But according to one player who spoke to Gelb anonymously, the relationship was permanently broken anyway. 

"You can’t disrespect the manager and talk to him the way he did," the player said. "You can’t expect it all to be the same after that." 

Phillies management debated a suspension, as bringing a beer into the dugout was a violation of Major League Baseball rules, but Castellanos kept playing every day afterward. However, most players who'd already soured on Castellanos as a personality were effectively done with him. Though they "played nice," according to Gelb, and he was widely considered a good and generous teammate in some respects, his anger at being removed on defense made him not a "team player." 

"The only opinions that I honestly care about are (from) the ones that have carried the stick," Castellanos said on Mookie Betts' podcast in the middle of the 2025 season. "The ones that have put on the gloves and put on the cleats."

There's no excuse for bringing a beer into the dugout; that's a sign of disrespect no organization would tolerate. And it's clear from his behavior that Castellanos thought his production and talent was at a significantly higher level than it actually is. Meaning he could get away with things because he was a star deserving of special treatment. Though even Kyle Schwarber couldn't bring a beer into the dugout and not be punished.

He issued a handwritten letter on Instagram in response, thanking the city and saying he's "addicted to winning" and "will learn" from these mistakes.

Now, any team can sign him for the league minimum, and with his past production, that seems likely. Regardless, it's a crazy end to his time in Philadelphia.