Phillies news and rumors 4/11: Despite recent hits, team still needs more from Nick Castellanos

Nick Castellanos has a .163 slugging percentage to start the season. (Cheryl Pursell)

The day after recording his first multi-hit performance of the 2024 season, Nick Castellanos stepped to the plate on Wednesday and shot a ground-ball single through the right side and into right field for an RBI base hit. The right-handed hitter delivered a sixth-inning insurance run that proved to be the difference as the Phillies escaped a rainy day in St. Louis with a 4-3 win and a series victory at Busch Stadium.

It was a positive sign for Castellanos, who has struggled at the plate to start the year. But as the Phillies return home on Thursday night for a four-game series against the Pirates, the club will still need more from its right fielder.

Castellanos is hitting .163/.265/.163 in 12 games this season, still chasing his first extra-base hit of the season. He’s been one of the poster children of the Phillies’ lackluster start to the season on offense as a collective — the team ranks 25th in Major League Baseball in runs scored per game at 3.75.

Perhaps his last two games can serve as a stepping stone for Castellanos after combining to go 3-for-8 with an RBI. However, the dink-and-dunk singles and grounders through holes aren’t enough on their own for the Phillies. The team needs more out of him, especially when other members of the lineup aren’t contributing to their potential as well.

Of course, Castellanos is a flawed player. He waves at pitches out of the zone, his cold streaks can be ice cold and he’s a poor fielder who’s apparently still adapting to some new conditions in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park. But he showed last season that he can be a productive hitter, even if he’s no longer the .938 OPS guy he was back in Cincinnati. Castellanos was an All-Star last season as he followed up a disastrous first season in Philadelphia with a 29-home run, 37-double campaign with a .787 OPS.

His best days seem to be behind him, but the 32-year-old still has the capability to put some balls in the gaps and even put a few over the fence. The Phillies can live with some of the bad at-bats if those types of outcomes begin to trickle in as well.

Returning to South Philly, Castellanos will have the chance to build upon his last couple days in the batter’s box to start doing more damage, while also showing he’s made some adjustments in the field in front of that new right-field scoreboard.

Must-read Phillies content

Here’s more on the Phillies’ win on Wednesday.
J.T. Realmuto made an impact on Wednesday after suffering a painful injury on Tuesday.
Right-handers Taijuan Walker and Orion Kerkering will rehab in Clearwater on Thursday.