Phillies bench Nick Castellanos for Game 1 against Dodgers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos was benched on Saturday for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani.

The right-handed-hitting Castellanos said he had “communication” issues earlier this season when he was scratched from the lineup by manager Rob Thomson.

Castellanos played 147 games and hit just .250 with 72 RBIs this season a year after he played in all 162. Max Kepler got the start in right field against LA, batting seventh.

Castellanos played all 34 games for the Phillies over the last three postseasons. He became the first player in MLB history to hit multiple homers in consecutive playoff games when he did it against Atlanta in 2023.

The two-time All-Star has lost playing time in a crowded outfield that includes Kepler, Harrison Bader, Brandon Marsh and Weston Wilson. He said in September in Arizona that communication with Thomson over his four-year tenure with the club has been “ questionable, at least in my experience.”

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