The San Diego Padres have been reeling a bit in the last couple of weeks. After being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies this week, the Padres are now 32-29, and in third place in the NL West. On Friday, the Padres are opening up a new series with the New York Mets in Petco Park.
Earlier this week, during that Phillies series, the Padres designated 14-year MLB veteran Nick Castellanos for assignment. It’s now the second time that Castellanos has been let go by an MLB team this season (the Phillies earlier in 2026).
San Diego made the release official in its recent social media post:
The other roster news is placing Jeremiah Estrada on the Injured List, and recalling David Morgan from Triple-A.
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Nick Castellanos Officially Released by Padres
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run during the third inning against the Athletics at Petco Park on May 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Nick Castellanos has officially been granted his release by the Padres. It’s a non-shocking move across MLB given Castellanos’ lack of production, and the fact his contract belonged to the Phillies, so the Padres do not feel inclined to pay him much longer.
“The Padres took a flier on him and spent only the league minimum of around $780,000 for him this season. Castellanos never returned to his two-time All-Star form in limited action with San Diego. He hit .191 with a .560 OPS, four home runs and 20 RBI in 39 games for the Padres.”
It’s unclear what is next for Nick Castellanos, but he’s certainly an MLB player who has had some quality moments in his career.
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Nick Castellanos Career at a Glance
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres at bat during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park on April 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Nick Castellanos has played for several MLB teams over the course of his 14-year career.
He came up with the Detroit Tigers in 2014, and played seven seasons in Detroit before joining the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds briefly.
He then spent four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he found some prolonged success.
Across 1727 total games, Castellanos is a career .270 hitter with 254 home runs, 940 RBI, and an OPS+ of 109.
The past two seasons, however, haven’t been kind to Nick Castellanos, as he’s carried a negative bWAR in both 2025 and 2026. In those 39 games this season, Castellanos had an OPS of .560, which just isn’t going to get the Padres where they want to go if Castellanos is to stay at DH.
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