Nick Castellanos DFA’d After Dreadful 2 Months — Career In Jeopardy

It was a controversial addition when they brought him in, but now, after just two months, the San Diego Padres have decided to end the Nick Castellanos experiment, designating him for assignment.

Padres have designated Nick Castellanos for assignment. He hit .191 with a .560 OPS and -0.9 bWAR in 39 games for San Diego pic.twitter.com/Tfwrp4twy9
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 3, 2026

The two-time All-Star started his fall from grace last season in Philadelphia, when he batted just .207 in the second half of the season with a .582 OPS, amidst controversial behavior. His downfall continued this season with the Friars, as he hit just .191 with a .560 OPS in 122 plate appearances.

The former Cincinnati Reds and Phillies All-Star was selected for the MidSummer Classic as recently as 2023 when he hit .272 with 29 home runs, 106 RBIs and a .788 OPS with the Phils. His numbers fell only a bit in 2024, but then, starting in the summer of 2025, things took a precipitous turn downwards.

Castellanos DFA'd after hitting .191 with .560 OPS

This year, he hit 80 points below his career average of .270, and well over 200 points below his career OPS of .781.

Castellanos became a lightning rod for controversy throughout the last few years of his career, due to his outspoken personality, which brought with it blunt clashes with managers and the media.

He even brought a beer into the Phillies dugout after being pulled for a defensive substitution in the 8th inning last season in Miami.

The Phillies released him in February, eating the remaining $20M on his contract, and the Padres decided to give him a shot this season on a minimum salary of $780,000. Needless to say, even at that price, it didn't work out.

Ironically, the news of his DFA comes with the Padres in the middle of a three-game series in Philadelphia.

Will another major league team give him a chance? At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if his career is over.