Opinion: Rob Thomson absolutely did the right thing by benching Nick Castellanos

As we all know, Nick Castellanos was benched Tuesday night in Miami after making an “inappropriate comment” towards Rob Thomson after being pulled for defensive replacement Johan Rojas in the eighth inning of Monday’s win.

It was the first time Castellanos had been out of the lineup since September 30, 2023, ending his streak of 236 straight games.

The Phillies lost Tuesday night, 8-3. No, it is not because Castellanos did not play.

Thomson said to reporters Tuesday afternoon that he felt that Castellanos had “crossed a line.”

“One of the many things about Nick that I love is that he’s very emotional,” Thomson said. “He loves to play and he loves to play every inning of every game. I just thought last night, he made an inappropriate comment after he came out. And so today he’s not in the lineup and I’m gonna leave it at that.”

Castellanos is hitting .278 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs this season, along with a .746 OPS. He has been one of the Phillies’ most consistent hitters, and he works hard in right field and has improved. However, he is still a very much below-average defender. His range is ranked in the first percentile on Baseball Savant, as he makes -8 outs above average, and has a -2 arm value. Even with all of this, the Phils are still very reluctant to take him out of games. When they did Monday night, Castellanos spoke his mind.

“I wasn’t happy about it, spoke my mind,” Castellanos told Lochlann March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He said that I crossed a line. So my punishment is I’m not playing.”

Benching players is not uncommon, but it is rare when it comes to Thomson, as in his three years as manager, he has never done so. We have seen it so many times before, even by the most legendary managers in Phillies history. Charlie Manuel once benched Jimmy Rollins for not hustling to first in 2008, and Dallas Green pulled the trigger numerous times back in the 1970s and 80s.

Now in 2025, a manager is being marked as soft for benching their player?

Thomson has been in baseball for 37 years. He is the Phillies’ leader, he is their guy, and he will always defend his team on and off the field. As his player, you have to respect him. Not just because he has been around the game forever, but because he is your boss.

Imagine your boss calls you into their office and takes you off a group project you are currently working on due to your lack of production, and you talk back and say something disrespectful towards them. There will be repercussions. This is the same exact situation.

Just because Castellanos is a baseball player does not alter this situation. This is his job, and Thomson is his boss.

Another thing is that this exchange between Castellanos and Thomson occurred in the dugout in front of teammates and coaches. Castellanos is a 13-year veteran. He should know better.

If you have something to say to a manager, you ask to speak to him in his office postgame. It is like if you are a teacher, and you need to speak to a student who is acting up. You ask that student to stay back after class, rather than blasting them in front of their peers.

It was a totally disrespectful move by Castellanos, and Thomson absolutely did the right thing.

Not just in baseball, people must respect their elders and those in leadership positions. You can question them, but it has to be done in a respectful manner. That is not what Castellanos did. Yes, all Americans have the right to free speech. But, this does not mean you can go out and say whatever you want without consequence.

This is a message to the other 25 guys in the Phillies’ clubhouse. This, and Orion Kerkerking getting the promotion up to closer, Thomson is not playing games anymore. He is showing some backbone, and with these underachieving Phillies, no one is in the clear.

Castellanos is back in the Phillies’ lineup Wednesday night. Here is the full lineup:

Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order

Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO

Benjamin Goldstein

Benjamin is an aspiring sportscaster and journalist and has been covering Philly sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, editor, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM and the lead broadcaster for Pennsbury Athletics. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio.

Twitter