Phillies Take Series Win Amid Drama in Miami; Harper, Nola Injury Updates
Jun 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; The Philadelphia Phillies celebrate a win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Phillies secured a four-game series win over the Miami Marlins, propelling them into a tie for first place in the NL East with the Mets. Their series win came Thursday night in a 2-1 ballgame as Kyle Schwarber launched a home run to take a late lead, backed by Cristopher Sanchez‘s masterful eight innings. The Phils dropped only the second game but bounced back to win the final two.
It was a successful trip down to Miami, which is typically a house of horror for the team. However, the trip was not flawless. Aside from any on-field mishaps, there was off-field drama that broke headlines and fueled Philadelphia sports radio stations’ dramatic opinions.
That drama was provided by Nick Castellanos and Rob Thomson following the conclusion of game one in Miami.
Reports came out that Castellanos mouthed off to Thomson due to his decision to defensively replace Castellanos in the 8th inning. When Tuesday’s lineup came out, Castellanos was not starting for the first time since September 2023.
It was an unusual move from Thomson, who’s regarded as a clubhouse manager and appears well respected by his players. Thomson has not sat another player in his three years of managing for such circumstances.
“It’s his decision,” said Castellanos, “He’s the manager.”
As big of a decision as it was, there was no intention of it becoming more than a one-game punishment.
Castellanos is graded as a below-average right fielder by Baseball Savant. His outs above average (OAA) is -9, the lowest in the league for his position.
While Savant grades Castellanos as a poor defender, he and his wife, Jess, tend to disagree.
“414 games no errors,” Jess Castellanos tweeted, “Eyes off the computer, watch the game.”
Also reported in an article by Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation: “I do know that that system’s never favored me in my whole career,” Castellanos noted in reference to OAA.
The Castellanos family may believe that Nick is a good outfielder, but metrics say otherwise. Because of this, Thomson has replaced Castellanos with an elite outfielder in Johan Rojas. It’s the right managerial call, but it may not sit well with Nick.
Regardless, Castellanos made a game-ending catch on Wednesday night. He leaped up against the wall, came down with the ball, and did his signature jersey untuck. It was Castellanos at his finest.
Whether or not he wants to believe it, the catch wasn’t that great. He had a -14 foot jump, and the ball had a 95% catch probability. But, like Jess Castellanos said, “watch the game.” It’s more fun that way anyway.
The drama may be over now, as Thomson mentioned Wednesday, the situation was “gone”, but a precedent was set with his players and a line was drawn.
Nola, Harper Injury Updates
On Thursday, the Phillies announced that Aaron Nola has been placed on the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster for Buddy Kennedy, who has been recalled from Lehigh Valley. Additionally, Weston Wilson was demoted.
Nola has experienced a few setbacks in the last couple of weeks. What originally was an ankle injury became a back injury and then a stress reaction in his right ribcage. His original IL stint was believed to be a “phantom” stint just to give him a reset.
Nola, who has a 1-7 record this year with a 6.16 ERA in his nine starts, has never dealt with a long-term injury during his Phillies tenure. Since 2016, he’s had two full seasons in which he did not throw over 180 innings. He’s been the Phillies’ workhorse since he debuted.
Since the 60-day IL works retroactive to when he was originally placed, Nola won’t be able to return until mid-July. It was unlikely he returned before the All-Star break in the first place, but now it’s set in stone.
As for the third-longest tenured Phillie, Bryce Harper, he did not travel with the team to Miami. Thomson stated that Harper would get more recovery work done in Philly.
Harper, who is currently fourth in All-Star voting at first base, dealt with an elbow injury and returned just for a few games before going on the 10-day IL for a lingering wrist injury.
On Thursday, Harper took dry swings and threw for the first time since hitting the IL. A step in the right direction for his return.
Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies will have Harper take swings off a tee and throw longer. They will have a timeline for his return on Friday.
Harper, who struggled earlier in the year, was just starting to heat up before he hit the injured list. An untimely exit, but hopefully a timely return for him as the Phillies are finding their groove.
The team will return home for a three-game series against the Mets — a big series to determine who takes sole possession of the NL East going into next week. The Phillies may not have Harper back in time, but they have Trea Turner at his finest and Zack Wheeler with the ball in his hand Friday night.
Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order
Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
