Two strange situations have developed in recent days regarding the back end of the Phillies roster and the injury progression of one key player.
Nick Castellanos (right oblique strain) doesn’t have a rehab assignment scheduled. Interim manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that a best-case scenario situation was for Castellanos to begin rehabbing with Lehigh Valley this weekend. He hit on the high velocity and curveball machines prior to Friday’s game with no issues.
But there’s an added wrinkle to this. Thomson previously mentioned that Castellanos has the right to reject a rehab outing and he reiterated that on Friday. He’s not sure if Castellanos will travel with the team to Chicago.
This is only the third time Castellanos has been placed on the injured list as a major leaguer. As Alex Coffey pointed out in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday, he has never gone out on a formal minor league rehab assignment. His first injury, a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his left hand in 2016, took a month to heal and Castellanos traveled to the Tigers’ complex in Lakeland, Florida to get at-bats since the minor league season was already over.
His second injury, a fractured right wrist in 2021, kept him out of the Reds lineup from July 22 to August 4. He skipped a rehab assignment and returned after a few sessions in the batting cages. He posted an .827 OPS in the month of August after the injury.
“I always feel like guys should go out on rehab if they’ve been out this long, but he’s done this a couple times,” Thomson said Friday. “Where he’s been hurt and really didn’t have a rehab stint and has performed fine. So, I don’t know.”
Thomson thinks Castellanos will be back this year as an outfielder. The Phillies interim manager conceded that he didn’t initially think Castellanos would be out for as long as he has been. The right fielder was placed on the injured list on Sept. 4 and there was some mild optimism that it would only be a 10-day stint.
“It’s a tricky injury. You never really know. Maybe I lied to you,” Thomson deadpanned.
Maybe Castellanos will be back in a few days. Maybe he won’t.
The other perplexing storyline is perhaps not as important as when the Phillies will get a key free agent signing back, but instead concerns the management of the final roster spot.
In the bottom of the eighth of Friday’s game, Donny Sands, a catcher who spent most of the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, pinch hit for designated hitter Bryce Harper in a blowout. It was only his third at-bat since being recalled from Lehigh Valley on Sept. 1. The at-bat was against Orlando Arcia, a position player.
Sands was having a great season at Triple-A and deserved the opportunity. The only problem is that the Phillies have the most reliable catcher in baseball and one of the more productive backups as well. There isn’t a lot of playing time for him.
All 30 teams are limited to 14 pitchers on the 28-man September expanded rosters. Having 14 position players with pitchers no longer batting and the roster as settled as it is from an everyday player standpoint leads to rostering players who won’t have many opportunities to contribute. That’s an unintended consequence of the pitcher limit put in place this season.
Maybe that spot is best used for a power bat with little positional flexibility who can come off the bench and hit a home run against a tough right-handed reliever late in the game.
For some reason, that guy is still in Triple-A. Yes, Darick Hall has not been lighting it up since being sent down on Aug. 23. He does have six home runs over the last 30 days and is one shy of tying Rhys Hoskins for the IronPigs’ single-season record. Hall dealt with a shoulder issue last week, but that seems to be resolved for now.
When he was sent down, the Phillies wanted to get him some regular at-bats. His playing time diminished when Kyle Schwarber needed regular DH reps in his short rehab back from a calf strain.
“It’s always a consideration,” Thomson said when asked if the Phillies considered bringing Hall back in recent days. “Once [the Triple-A] season is over, the conversation gets a little more involved.”
Lehigh Valley’s season concludes on Wednesday. Thomson also said it’s unlikely the Phillies will keep Hall around as a taxi squad guy. Once the minor league season is over, some players will head south to Clearwater for more work and if Hall is not with the big club, he’ll head down there.
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