The San Diego Padres designated outfielder Nick Castellanos for assignment, the club announced Wednesday.
Castellanos has four homers with 20 RBIs and a .560 OPS across 39 games since joining the Padres over the offseason.
The move comes during San Diego's three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, which marks the first time that Castellanos had returned to Philadelphia since being released last February with $20 million left on his contract.
The two-time All-Star said he enjoyed his time with the Phillies but also acknowledged it was a challenge compared to playing in a smaller market.
"I mean, media always wants controversy, right, because it makes them relevant," Castellanos said Tuesday, according to OnPattison. "And there's clicks. They'll take something small that probably shouldn't be talked about and then they'll blow it up because they want a story. It becomes something, and it can just distract from the purity of the game."
The Phillies benched Castellanos for a game in June 2025 because he brought a beer into the dugout in response to being removed for a defensive replacement in another contest against the Miami Marlins.
The Padres selected the contract of utility man Samad Taylor from Triple-A to replace Castellanos on the roster.
