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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Philadelphia Phillies have been surging since the trade deadline and some new faces are helping to lead the way.
The team is 13-6 since the calendar flipped to August, with blockbuster trade addition Jhoan Duran earning five saves in his first six games with the team. The team is also suddenly enjoying a surge from offseason addition Max Kepler, who has a .281 batting average and a .741 OPS in August.
But as the team looks to make more room for Kepler as well as trade addition Harrison Bader, it has come at the cost of playing time for Nick Castellanos, who has been benched twice in the last five games after serving as one of the Phillies' most consistent everyday players.
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Given the recent lineups, it seems pretty clear that Castellanos is now a member of an outfield platoon in right field alongside Kepler, though the team isn't yet using that term.
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When manager Rob Thomson told Castellanos he would be benched again on Wednesday to make room for the other outfielders, the veteran slugger offered his manager a clear three-word response.
"And I said, 'Whatever you need,'" Castellanos relayed to Tim Kelly of On Pattison.
Castellanos framed the decision as one that would protect his left knee, which he jammed while making a catch in late July. But it hasn't helped that Castellanos is struggling at the plate.
He has a .255/.294/.414 slash line so far, which would mark an on-base low since his rookie season and one of the worst slugging percentages of his career. He has also posted a negative WAR so far this season.
With those struggles, alongside stronger production from Kepler and Brandon Marsh, Castellanos no longer appears to be an everyday starter for the Phillies. And as the team surges since making that change, it seems to be a new normal the manager could stick with through the playoffs.
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