CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies’ first full-squad workout isn’t until Monday, but many position players have already reported and have been filtering in and out of the BayCare Ballpark clubhouse.
Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott, Otto Kemp, Johan Rojas, Aidan Miller, and Justin Crawford are among the position players already at the Phillies facilities in Clearwater.
So is outfield prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr., though he will start the spring a bit behind, as he is dealing with left knee soreness. Rincones, who will turn 25 next month, is still able to hit and throw, but the Phillies are taking it slow.
“I think you will see him in games, probably towards the middle of the schedule,” said manager Rob Thomson.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned Rincones this offseason as a player the Phillies like “a lot.” Rincones hit 18 home runs in 119 triple-A games last season.
During catchers’ batting practice on Thursday, Kemp was in left field shagging fly balls alongside Marsh. Kemp will also get infield work at third, second, and first base this spring.
Kemp learned the outfield on the fly last year after he was called up to the major leagues, and posted minus-1 outs above average at the position. Thomson is confident that with a full spring of work, Kemp will develop into a serviceable platoon left fielder with Marsh.
“I’m positive he can be a platoon outfielder, for sure,” Thomson said. “He’s a baseball player. He is. He figures it out and part of that is that he’s not scared of anything. If I asked him to go play center field, or go behind the plate and catch, he probably would. Not that I’d ask him, but he just goes out and plays a game. He’s got great aptitude. So he learns very quickly.”
Also in the mix for the platoon spot with Marsh is Rojas and Bryan De La Cruz, a nonroster invite to spring training. Rojas is coming off a strong showing in the Dominican Winter League, where he slashed .302/.377/.395 in 34 games.
“Controlling the strike zone is always a big thing for [Rojas], and using the short game is a big thing for him, and using the field,” Thomson said. “I think he’s improved over the winter, and it’ll be good to see him in here, see what he can do.”
Andrew Painter will compete for a spot in the Phillies’ rotation this spring.
Normal spring for Painter
Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter will be under no limitations this spring as he competes for a spot in the Phillies’ rotation. He is set to appear in Grapefruit League games for the first time since prior to his ulnar collateral ligament injury and subsequent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2023.
“I’m sure he’s excited. It’s really the first full year where he’s completely healthy, and where he’s got everything back,” Thomson said. “And when I’m talking about everything, I’m talking about stuff, combined with command and control. So I think he’s really excited. I would think so. I’m excited for him, because I’m thinking he’s really going to be a big piece for us.”
The Phillies players who are planning to participate in the World Baseball Classic are set to leave camp on March 1, though some may stay longer before joining their federations to get as many starts as possible. … Miller took grounders at shortstop Thursday with Stott at second. Miller will also get reps at third base this spring. … The Phillies are scheduled to start live at-bats on Friday.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies released Nick Castellanos, the team announced on Thursday.
The drawn-out saga reached its conclusion three days before position players were set to report to the Phillies facilities for spring training. This winter, the Phillies had repeatedly indicated their interest in finding a change of scenery for the outfielder, who will be 34 next month.
In December, they signed free-agent outfielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract to take Castellanos’ position in right field. The Phillies sought to find a trade partner to offset at least some of the $20 million that Castellanos is owed for the 2026 season in the final year of his contract, but ultimately released him.
“We’ve spent a long time trying to make a trade,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday. “And when I say that, trying to move his contract for a minimum return from a dollar perspective and player perspective, but just hasn’t worked out. …
“We have felt that we need to get a change of scenery for Nick and wish him nothing but the best.”
Dombrowski was general manager of the Detroit Tigers in 2010 when they drafted Castellanos out of high school. He said there were clubs that showed interest in trading for Castellanos starting in November, but nothing materialized.
Castellanos had a .260 batting average and .732 OPS over his four years with the Phillies. His minus-12 outs above average in right field in 2025 positioned him as one of the major leagues’ worst outfielders by StatCast metrics.
That, combined with a drop-off in offensive production, led to him losing his everyday job in the second half of the season.
“A lot of times when a good player has their role change with the club, it can cause some friction,” Dombrowski said. “And his role changed last year from where it was. I mean, he played every single day for a lot of years in a row, and so sometimes that can contribute to it.”
“[Thomson has] done a very good job of communicating with me,” Dombrowski said. “And I think overall, I can’t tell you that every situation is always handled perfectly by any of us, but I think he’s a very good communicator.”
Castellanos posted a letter Thursday on Instagram, thanking principal owner John Middleton, Dombrowski, the Phillies staff, outfield coach Paco Figueroa, his teammates, and the city of Philadelphia.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski talks to the media on Thursday after releasing Nick Castellanos.
He also addressed what he called the “Miami Incident,” in which Castellanos was benched for one game during a road series in his hometown in June, ending what had been a 236-game iron man streak.
The right fielder had been taken out for a defensive substitution in the eighth inning of a close game the night before and made what Thomson described at the time as an “inappropriate comment” out of frustration, leading to his benching.
In his letter, Castellanos said he had taken a can of Presidente beer into the dugout after being lifted from the game.
“I then sat next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and to [sic] tight of restrictions in others are not condusive [sic] to us winning,” Castellanos wrote.
He added that the beer was taken out of his hands before he could take a sip and that he had a conversation with Dombrowski and Thomson afterward and apologized.
Dombrowski said Thursday that the events in Miami were not directly correlated to the Phillies’ decision to release Castellanos.
“That contributed, by all means, to why he was benched for the game,” Dombrowski said. “That wasn’t the final or determining factor [for being released] because if that was, we would have done that at that particular time.”
CLEARWATER, Fla. — For years, a tucked-away corner of the Phillies’ spring-training clubhouse has belonged to the stars. And because the roster hasn’t changed much since 2022, neither have the nameplates above the lockers.
Schwarber did a double take almost as soon as he walked through the door here Wednesday, even before Realmuto pointed it out. Left fielder Brandon Marsh stopped Miller in the hallway and said, “Man, you got a good little locker spot there.”
“They’ve all kind of made little comments here and there about it,” said Miller, the top prospect who now occupies the space once reserved for Nick Castellanos, the disgruntled $20 million right fielder who no longer has a locker (a photo of him was removed from a hallway in the clubhouse, too) because he will be traded or released by the weekend. “I was surprised seeing it myself.”
Miller shouldn’t be surprised. Nobody should.
Never mind that he is 21, the second-youngest player among 68 in camp. Or that he dressed at a temporary locker on the other side of the room last spring and lived with his parents 20 miles north of the Phillies’ complex.
Miller is in the Phillies’ plans — and sooner than later. So, it isn’t a coincidence, according to manager Rob Thomson, that he and fellow top prospect Justin Crawford (No. 80 in your spring-training program) are taking up residence on Millionaires’ Row.
“We upgraded a little bit,” Crawford said, laughing.
In 2026, after back-to-back divisional-round knockouts, the Phillies will still be led by Harper & Friends, few of whom have aged out of their prime. But they also aren’t getting younger.
As it is, the Phillies are trying to become only the 10th team in baseball history to make the playoffs with four players age 33 or older getting at least 500 plate appearances. If new right fielder Adolis García joins Harper, Turner, Schwarber, and Realmuto, the Phillies would be only the third team to make the playoffs with five. It hasn’t happened since the 2007 New York Yankees.
So, the Phillies must get younger if they’re going to prop open the proverbial window to contend long beyond this year. And that’s where Crawford, Miller, and 22-year-old pitcher Andrew Painter come in — and why they may be the three most important players in camp.
“Crawford and Miller and Andrew, we know they’re all very talented,” said Zack Wheeler, at 35 the dean of the starting rotation. “It’s good to have those guys around. You can’t have everybody under big contracts. You’ve got to have some young guys. We have a good locker room to accept those guys. They can ask any of these guys questions, and they’ll definitely help out.”
That’s the idea.
Crawford, 22, is the presumptive opening-day center fielder after batting .300 at every level of the minors. He might’ve gotten called up last August if the Phillies didn’t trade for Harrison Bader at the deadline. His time is most certainly now.
“I’ll say it feels a little different,” said Crawford, who would be the youngest outfielder on a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. “Last year was kind of the excitement of being in big-league camp for the first time. This, I feel a little bit more laid-back and just ready to get to work and compete. Excited to see what happens.”
Crawford insists he isn’t taking anything for granted. His dad, four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, wouldn’t allow it. Neither would his godfather, Junior Spivey, who played five seasons in the majors, or personal hitting coach Mike Easler, who had a 14-year major-league career.
And then there are Crawford’s new neighbors in the high-rent district of the clubhouse.
“I came in and still it was a little surreal,” Crawford said despite getting a heads-up from a teammate of where his locker was located. “It was like, ‘Wow,’ from being over there [on the other side of the room] last year. So, it’s pretty cool and definitely a good, nice moment.”
The Phillies did this in 2023 with Painter. They gave him a locker alongside Wheeler and around the corner from Aaron Nola and a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation as a 19-year-old. But he suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, had surgery, and missed two seasons.
Painter has a good chance of making the team out of camp in part because Wheeler will be behind the other pitchers as he comes back from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which a vein is compressed between the collarbone and rib cage. Wheeler had a rib removed in September.
But Painter isn’t merely a placeholder. The Phillies remain bullish on his future even after he struggled last season in triple A. Many rival evaluators “cut him some slack,” as one NL scout said, after the two-year absence and believe he still has top-of-the-rotation potential.
Right-hander Andrew Painter has a chance to be in the Phillies’ season-opening starting rotation.
And if Crawford and Painter are ticketed for the opening-day roster, Miller may not be far behind. It isn’t only the placement of his locker. As camp opened for pitchers and catchers, Thomson confirmed that Miller will get reps at third base, in addition to his natural shortstop, a spot occupied by Turner.
It won’t be the first time. Miller played third base at J.W. Mitchell High School, up the road from here in Trinity, Fla., before the Phillies drafted him in the first round in 2023. This spring will be about “relearning” the position, he said, notably the footwork and the hops.
“I just want to get there [to the majors],” Miller said. “I don’t care where it is in the field. As long as I’m there, I’m cool.”
If Crawford, Painter, and Miller can get there, the Phillies will have threaded the needle of replenishing the roster while also contending. It’s a tricky balance.
Thomson was a coach with the Yankees in 2017 when they successfully blended youth (Aaron Judge, Gary Sánchez, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, and Luis Severino) with a veteran core en route to 91 wins and Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
“I think there’s some similarities there,” Thomson said. “If you want to have a really healthy organization for a sustainable future, you have to be able to infuse some youth along the way.”
And it starts, symbolically, with a couple of kids lockering alongside the stars for six weeks in February and March.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Orion Kerkering will start spring training a little behind schedule after suffering a mild hamstring strain.
The Phillies right-hander felt the strain during his last bullpen session before spring training officially started on Wednesday, and the Phillies will be cautious with the reliever, manager Rob Thomson said.
“He’s still playing catch, and so hopefully get a little flat ground work here in the next little bit,” Thomson said.
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran throws during the first day of workouts Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla.
Other injuries and delays
Relief pitcher Michael Mercado has a right shoulder impingement and will be shut down from throwing for another week, the team said. Mercado made three major league appearances last season for the Phillies and had a 4.59 ERA in 42 games with triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Daniel Robert, 31, had a “cardiovascular event” last fall, and next week he will undergo stress testing in Atlanta. He appeared in 15 games for the Phillies as a reliever last season, pitching to a 4.15 ERA. Both Mercado and Robert were non-tendered by the Phillies this offseason but later were re-signed to minor league deals.
Nonroster invitee catcher Mark Kolozsvary had ACL surgery last year, and is able to catch and throw but not run.
Catcher René Pinto, also a nonroster invitee, is not in camp because of visa issues coming from Venezuela.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Inside a closet at Zack Wheeler’s house, preserved and tucked inside a protective case, is one of his ribs.
The Phillies pitcher’s first rib was removed as part of the surgery he underwent in September to treat venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The rib is taken out to relieve compression of the subclavian vein.
It’s common for patients who undergo that type of surgery to receive their rib afterward, though it can be weeks or months later. But Wheeler’s doctor hand-delivered his.
“He was like, ‘I wanted to give it to you personally,’” Wheeler said from his typical corner locker at BayCare Ballpark. “So he just walked in and gave it to me in a bag. It was pretty gross.”
Wheeler, making his first public comments since his TOS diagnosis, had just finished a recovery day on Wednesday, on the first official day of Phillies camp for pitchers and catchers.
“It’s not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career,” Wheeler said. “You might expect to have a shoulder or elbow [injury] throughout your career. The blood clot thing is something that’s kind of rare and you don’t expect to have. So when you get told that, it’s just something you just have to sort of sit back and think about for a second.”
Zack Wheeler said a blood clot is “not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career.”
Wheeler had first experienced heaviness near his right shoulder following a start on Aug. 15 in Washington, and Nationals team doctors identified an upper extremity blood clot.
He underwent a thrombolysis procedure to remove the clot, and multiple specialists afterward diagnosed him with venous TOS, which ended his 2025 season.
“After the surgery, you battle the tightness and the soreness and stuff like that,” Wheeler said. “The first week was really tough after it, soreness-wise, obviously. … Now, I feel pretty much normal.”
Wheeler spent the winter in Philadelphia, where he worked with Phillies trainer Paul Buchheit on getting back his range of motion and strength. Manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that it is doubtful Wheeler will be ready for opening day on March 26, but that he shouldn’t be “too far beyond that.”
Wheeler has been encouraged by his progress, but he isn’t looking that far ahead. Instead, he’s focused on taking things day by day and checking off each box as it comes.
The next step is building up his arm strength. He is throwing at a maximum distance of 90 feet four times a week, which soon will be extended to 105 feet. Then, it’s flat-ground drills, which are the final step before Wheeler can get on a mound.
Zack Wheeler says he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again after surgery for a blood clot in his upper right arm.
“I just kind of do what they tell me, ask what I got for the week, and kind of just go about it that way,” Wheeler said. “I try not to get my hopes up one way or the other, and that’s kind of how I’ve always been. Just take it as it comes and just do the work that I’m needing to be done that week.”
Throughout this process, Wheeler, 35, said he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again.
“I think that any athlete, you have surgery, you’re optimistic about it,” he said. “You always had that good mindset where you come back and be the same performer as you were. So that’s kind of my mindset the whole time. I’m moving back to where I was, and I think that’s the right mindset to have.”
The next time he does step on the mound, he’s expecting to be the same Wheeler, even if he is one rib lighter.
“Hopefully,” Wheeler said, “I can get back out there and do my thing.”
Philadelphia sports fans will soon be presented with a first — a chance to actually save money during the streaming wars.
Beginning this week, YouTube TV is rolling out a sports-specific plan featuring channels with major sports rights that will cost $64.99 a month, $18 less than what it currently charges for a subscription.
New subscribers can nab the deal for $54.99 a month for a year.
The plan will include all the major broadcast networks — ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox — and cable channels that hold sports rights, including ESPN’s networks (and full access to ESPN Unlimited beginning in the fall), FS1, TNT, TBS, TruTV (for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament), CBS Sports Network, Golf Channel, and USA Network, the U.S. home of Premier League games.
NBC Sports Philadelphia also will be included in the slimmed-down sports bundle for those who live in the Philadelphia TV market, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed. So will NBC’s other three regional sports networks in their respective areas: Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. NBC Sports Philadelphia also still will be available to stream without a cable subscription through Peacock and MLB.TV.
YouTubeTV’s sports bundle will also include league-centric channels like the NFL Network (now owned by ESPN), the Big Ten Network, and NBA TV, which this season basically just airs a whip-around show called The Association and a handful of NBA games.
While the plan gets sports fans the bulk of NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL games, there are a few omissions. Amazon’s Prime Video, which features Thursday Night Football, weekly NBA games, and playoff games in both leagues, isn’t included. It also doesn’t include the handful of NFL and MLB games streamed by Netflix, or Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball or MLS games.
Another notable omission is MLB Network, which hasn’t been available on YouTube TV since 2023 because of a carriage dispute.
YouTube TV is also rolling out slimmed-down subscription offerings for entertainment fans ($54.99 a month), a sports-plus-news package ($71.99 a month), and a family-focused plan ($69.99 a month).
Why now? Growth. YouTubeTV is the third-largest cable TV provider in the country and growing, with over 10 million subscribers, trailing just Charter (12.6 million) and Comcast (11.3 million). While Comcast has been shedding video customers, Charter has been able to stem its losses by offering its own skinny bundle, something fans and non-fans alike have been complaining about for years.
YouTube, the free older brother of YouTube TV, hasn’t been quiet about wanting to stream more NFL games in the near future. It could get its wish as soon as next season.
As part of its purchase of NFL Media and the NFL Network, ESPN agreed to give the league back the TV rights to four games. Those will now head to the marketplace, where YouTube is expected be among the bidders. It’s no surprise that YouTube CEO Neal Mohan was among the big names sitting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in his Super Bowl box on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
“We really value our partnership with the NFL,” Christian Oestlien, YouTube’s vice president of subscription product, told Bloomberg.com in a recent interview. “Everything we’ve done with them so far has been really successful. And so we’re very excited about the idea that we could be doing more with them.”
YouTube’s biggest competitor for those four games likely will be Netflix, which is entering the last year of its three-season deal to stream NFL Christmas games. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO, was also in Goodell’s booth.
YouTube streamed its first NFL game last season, the Week 1 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers played in São Paulo, Brazil. The game drew 17.3 million global viewers, including 16.2 million in the United States, a big number boosting the streamer’s chances of landing more games.
More sports media news
ESPN will broadcast next year’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles, and you’re going to hear a lot over the next year about it being the network’s first. But it has aired on sister network, ABC. As pointed out by Sports Media Watch’s Jon Lewis, ABC has broadcast three Super Bowls since being purchased by ESPN’s parent company, Disney, in 1996 — in 2000, 2003, and 2006, with coverage featuring Chris Berman and a number of ESPN personalities. The Super Bowl also has aired in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.
Happy trails to the laptop of The Athletic’s Tony Jones, which was destroyed after it was hit by a T-shirt shot by a cannon during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl. Jones said the rolled-up T-shirt hit his computer, which then hit him in the face, cracking the screen and preventing him from filing a story.
NBC will air MLB games this season for the first time since 1989 and is filling out its broadcast bench, adding studio analysts (and recent MLBers) Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rizzo, and Joey Votto. You might not see much of them during the regular season, but all three will be part of NBC’s coverage of the wild-card series, which it’s taking over from ESPN.
Super Bowl viewership numbers will be out later Tuesday. If you care about such things and have seen numbers on social media, ignore them. The Eagles’ blowout win last year against the Chiefs averaged over 127 million viewers, peaking with Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, with over 133 million people tuning in. We’ll see how Bad Bunny and Sunday’s boring Super Bowl can match that.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Say this for the 2026 Phillies: They’re recognizable without a program.
Kyle Schwarber is back. So is J.T. Realmuto. And although team officials cite a new right fielder, a remade bullpen, and a commitment to two top prospects as a rebuttal to the claim that they are running back the roster, there was a week in January when they nearly put the darned thing in a blender.
If the Phillies signed Bo Bichette — and they agreed to offer what he asked for (seven years, $200 million, according to a major-league source) — it would have set off a chain reaction. They’d have moved on from Realmuto to a less-expensive catcher (they talked with Victor Caratini) and probably have traded Alec Bohm to open third base.
Instead, Bichette took a higher-salary, shorter-term offer from the New York Mets, and the Phillies turned back to Realmuto. Re-signing two foundational players — also, the best DH and catcher in free agency — was Plan A anyway. And keeping together the guts of a roster that won … checks standings … 96 games last season is sensible, even if fans are restless after back-to-back divisional-round knockouts.
That’s the backdrop as spring training begins. Let’s dive in with our annual Starting 9 — a lineup of Phillies questions for the next six weeks in Florida.
Rob Thomson is set to begin his fifth season as manager of the Phillies.
“I think it’s to be determined,” the manager said recently on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “But I feel better about it.”
It’s a high bar. And the Phillies did lose mainstay starter Ranger Suárez and trade-deadline spark Harrison Bader in free agency. But Thomson’s optimism stems from a belief that rookies Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford can fill those spots. Having star closer Jhoan Duran for a full season helps, too. Adolis García is, at minimum, a defensive upgrade over Nick Castellanos in right field.
It’s reasonable to call for change, and the flirtation with Bichette signaled management’s interest in a different look. But different isn’t always good, and BetMGM set the Same Old Phillies’ over/under win total at 90.5, a reminder that they’re still very good.
Are they better? Not yet, but check back.
Bryce Harper was still productive in 2025, but he wasn’t patient at the plate or particularly clutch either.
Perspective is important. Harper missed most of June with an inflamed right wrist, leaving his counting stats — homers (27), RBIs (75), doubles (32) — short of his career norms. But by OPS (.844), he ranked 22nd among 145 hitters who qualified for the batting title. Based on OPS-plus, he was 29% better than league average.
Here’s what Harper wasn’t: patient. He swung at 35.6% of pitches out of the strike zone, well above his career average (29.3%). He wasn’t clutch, either. Only one of the Phillies’ biggest 43 hits by Win Probability Added belonged to MV3; he batted .233 with a .762 OPS with runners in scoring position.
The first thing seems fixable. Maybe it will help if Harper bats in front of Schwarber rather than behind him. The second? The Phillies are betting on it being aberrational, not the start of a decline at age 33.
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is attempting to come back from major surgery in September.
To recap: In August, Wheeler developed a blood clot near his right shoulder and was diagnosed with a condition in which a vein is compressed between the collarbone and rib cage. He had surgery to remove the clot, then a second procedure in September to relieve the vein by removing the first rib.
Wheeler spent the offseason in Philadelphia, rehabbing under the supervision of team doctors and trainers. He got back on a mound last week. He will turn 36 in May. It’s unlikely he will be ready for opening day, Thomson said Monday, but the Phillies don’t expect him to be far behind.
“He’s wants to be an All-Star,” Thomson said. “He’s got a carrot out there that he’s after. We’re not going to push him because we want a healthy Zack Wheeler. We want him back to normal, and I believe he’s going to get there.”
Normal, for Wheeler, is among the best two or three pitchers in baseball, dominant and durable. It’s a long way back to that level. It’ll be fascinating to watch him try to get there.
Alec Bohm is a candidate to return to the cleanup spot for the Phillies.
4. Batting cleanup …?
This is where Bichette came in. Maybe not in the cleanup spot, per se. But the two-time American League hit king surely would have joined Trea Turner, Harper, and Schwarber — in some order — in the top half of the lineup.
So, now what?
“I’ve got some ideas,” Thomson said. “I’ve got to talk to the players about it, but you could see a change.”
The implication is that Schwarber and Harper will be flip-flopped in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots behind Turner as a way of getting Harper to see more strikes. But then who bats behind Schwarber?
Bohm may be the first choice. He batted .216 with a .571 OPS in 26 starts in the cleanup spot last year, but excelled there (.283, .769) in 2024. García is another option after batting cleanup in 71% of his starts for the Rangers since 2022. But Thomson believes García put too much pressure on himself last year in Texas and might prefer to ease him in.
Either way, the Phillies must get more production out of the cleanup spot. They ranked 20th last season with a .720 OPS.
The Phillies are expected to trade or release Nick Castellanos before the first full-squad workout in spring training.
5. Will anyone trade for Castellanos?
Think of Castellanos as a car on the side of the road. It’s running, with the keys in the ignition. The Phillies just haven’t gotten anyone to drive it away.
They have a few more days.
“We continue to talk to clubs about [a trade],” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday.
And if they don’t find a taker before Monday’s first full-squad workout?
“At this point, we’re doing everything we can to make a move by that time period,” Dombrowski said. “I’ll leave it at that right now.“
OK, so everyone knows that Castellanos’ relationship with the organization soured last season when he clashed with Thomson over playing time, including an incident in the dugout in Miami that led to a one-game benching.
In November, Dombrowski said “change of sceneries can be beneficial for people.” Nothing has changed. But before the Phillies release Castellanos and swallow his entire $20 million salary, they will exhaust all trade options. The San Diego Padres have a need after ranking 27th in the majors with a .630 OPS from the DH spot. The Colorado Rockies need a lot, including a DH (.613 OPS last season).
In any case, it would be a stunner if Castellanos walks into the clubhouse next week.
Rookie Justin Crawford is the Phillies’ presumptive opening-day center fielder.
6. What’s reasonable to expect from Crawford and Painter?
Nobody expects them to carry the team.
Crawford turned 22 last month; Painter will be 23 in April. Besides, Harper & Friends (Turner, Schwarber, Realmuto, Wheeler, and Aaron Nola) are still near enough to their primes to do the heaviest lifting.
But if the organization is to transition from this core to the next without a rebuilding gap in between, Crawford, Painter, and eventually top prospect Aidan Miller must light the way.
The projection models are promising. Crawford is pegged to bat .286/.337/.390 with seven homers, 29 steals, a 103 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus; 100 is league average), and 2.0 wins above replacement, based on the ZiPS forecasting system. Steamer, another system used by FanGraphs, has Painter for a 4.69 ERA in 133 innings.
Those would be solid numbers for a rookie No. 9 hitter and debutant No. 5 starter, with room to grow.
Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller has a chance to make his major-league debut later this season.
7. When will it be Miller’s time?
Of all the reasons to be bullish on Miller — extra-base power, a high contact rate, and stolen-base aptitude — here’s one more: He’s a quick study.
To wit: After getting promoted to high-A Jersey Shore in 2024, Miller batted .169 and slugged .268 through his first 71 at-bats. He made adjustments and got on a .299/.526 roll over his final 154 at-bats.
Exhibit B: Last year, the Phillies challenged Miller by starting him at double-A Reading, where he was among the youngest players in the league. He batted .234 and slugged .355 through the All-Star break, then went on a .302/.550 kick before going 9-for-27 (.333) with a 1.032 OPS in a weeklong triple-A cameo to end the season.
It wouldn’t be surprising, then, if the Phillies punch the accelerator on Miller. He’s blocked at shortstop by Turner, but the plan is to get him reps at third base in spring training.
If Miller gets off to a blazing start in triple A and Bohm struggles again in April, well, it could get interesting.
Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez will pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic next month.
8. Will the WBC be a disruption?
Eleven players — more than one-quarter of the 40-man roster — will leave camp at the end of the month to compete for their respective countries in the World Baseball Classic. It’s not ideal.
But the Phillies aren’t unique, either. The Boston Red Sox also will have 11 players leaving major league camp; the Seattle Mariners will have 10. The Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs will have eight apiece.
“I played for Team Canada a couple of times, and to play for your country is quite an honor,” Thomson said. “You’re holding your breath when the guys go. But at the end of it, if they come out of it clean, I think it’s really good.”
Specifically, the Phillies will cross their fingers and toes for the health of five pitchers: Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic), Nola (Italy), Taijuan Walker (Mexico), and relievers Brad Keller (U.S.) and José Alvarado (Venezuela). Harper and Schwarber will join Keller on Team USA. Edmundo Sosa (Panama), Johan Rojas (D.R.), and Garrett Stubbs and Max Lazar (Israel) are also competing.
Veteran major-league outfielder Bryan De La Cruz will be a nonroster invitee to Phillies camp after signing a minor-league contract in November.
9. Is there a sleeper to watch?
Don’t mistake passing on a handful of righty-hitting free-agent outfielders as an indication that the Phillies are still holding out hope for Brandon Marsh to hit left-handed pitching. Maybe he’ll turn into a latter-day Schwarber, but the Phillies aren’t under any illusions.
In that case, why not sign Rob Refsnyder, Lane Thomas, Austin Hays, Miguel Andújar, or at least so far, Randal Grichuk?
Two words: Otto Kemp.
Dombrowski and Thomson have talked up Kemp throughout the winter. Kemp slugged .558 with four homers in 57 plate appearances after getting called back up in September despite playing through shoulder and knee injuries that required offseason surgeries. He’s healthy now and will get the first shot at platooning with Marsh in left field.
But there’s another option. Maybe you remember Bryan De La Cruz from his years with the Miami Marlins. He bats from the right side and has 58 career homers, seven against the Phillies. The 29-year-old signed a minor-league deal in November, then batted .301 with eight homers and an .888 OPS en route to being named MVP of the Dominican Winter League.
Could he be the surprise of camp? There’s always one.
And if the Phillies don’t find a taker for the disgruntled right fielder before the first full-squad workout Monday?
“We’re doing everything we can to make a move by that time period,” Dombrowski said. “I’ll leave it at that right now.“
If the Phillies don’t trade Castellanos, they’re expected to release him. Either way, they will pay all or most of his $20 million salary.
No matter what, though, don’t expect him to walk through the doors of the spring-training complex.
Castellanos’ relationship within the clubhouse soured last season when he clashed with manager Rob Thomson over playing time, including an incident in the dugout in Miami that led to a one-game benching. In December, the Phillies extended Thomson’s contract through 2027.
Also in December, the Phillies signed free-agent outfielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract to take Castellanos’ spot in right field.
Castellanos turns 34 in March and is coming off his worst season in which he fumbled his everyday role in August. He batted .250 with 17 homers and an 88 OPS-plus (12% below league average). He also was among the majors’ worst outfield defenders, with negative-11 defensive runs saved.
But in a depressed offensive environment across the sport, especially among righty-hitting outfielders, the Phillies hoped to peddle Castellanos to a team that was willing to pick up even a portion of his salary in the last year of his contract.
The Pittsburgh Pirates appeared to be a potential partner after losing out in the bidding for several free agents, notably Kyle Schwarber. But Pittsburgh signed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million contract on Monday.
A major league source said Monday the Phillies were still talking with “two or three teams” about Castellanos. The San Diego Padres might have a need after ranking 27th in the majors with a .630 OPS from the DH spot last season. The Colorado Rockies need a lot, including a DH (.613 OPS last season).
It’s unlikely that Zack Wheeler will be ready for opening day, but he won’t be “too far behind that,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on Monday.
It was never a given that Wheeler would be back in the rotation for the start of the 2026 Phillies season. After being diagnosed with a blood clot in his upper right arm, Wheeler underwent venous thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Sept. 23, and the general timeline for return is six to eight months.
Wheeler, 35, has not yet thrown off a mound and has continued to throw at a distance of 90 feet. He last threw on Saturday, and Thomson said the reports were “very good.”
“We’re still plugging along,” Thomson said, “and it all depends on his strength and that type of thing, but all that being said, he’s doing well.”
With Wheeler doubtful to be in the rotation to start the season, that leaves an opening for Andrew Painter. The 22-year-old prospect was expected to make his major league debut last year, but he struggled with commanding his pitches in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and the call-up never materialized. Painter finished 2025 with a 5.26 ERA in 118 innings across single-A Clearwater and triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Dave Dombrowski said he saw Painter for the first time this year on Monday, and he looked “in really good shape.”
“He had stuff last year. He still threw hard last year. I’m looking for him to command his pitches better,” said Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations. “ … I’ve talked to our people that have been with him and had a chance to watch him. He’s gone back to long toss, which he hadn’t always done in the past. He’s got his arm angle up a tick more, which they think will help him back to where he was before.”
Beyond Painter, the Phillies have thin rotation depth in the minor leagues, which could be an issue in the event of an injury to the staff. Three projected members of the rotation — Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic), Aaron Nola (Italy), and Taijuan Walker (Mexico) — are also set to participate in the World Baseball Classic in March.
Dombrowski said the Phillies front office will continue to look for starting pitching depth as the spring begins.
“I do think that this is going to be a spring where you continue to have more trade conversations than you normally do during spring training,” Dombrowski said. “Just because of the late developing signing of players, which puts a focus on movement for other players when somebody signs.
“But when our scouts go out there, that’ll be one of our focuses. And we may develop that internally, too; there’s some guys that we do like. But that’ll be a focus of ours, is starting pitching depth.”
Veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna is heading to Pittsburgh.
The 35-year-old free agent has reached an agreement with the Pirates on a one-year deal worth $12 million, a person familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending Ozuna passing a physical.
Ozuna would give the Pirates another experienced bat to potentially boost a lineup that was among the worst in the majors in 2025. The right-handed Ozuna hit .232 with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs last season for Atlanta.
Ozuna would make $10.5 million in 2026 and has a mutual club option for $16 million in 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout.
Pittsburgh previously acquired All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn during an unusually busy offseason for the club as it tries to give a young pitching staff anchored by reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes some help.
Ozuna’s arrival could mean Pittsburgh is moving on from longtime franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen. The 39-year-old, five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP, who has spent 12 of his 17 seasons in the majors with the Pirates, remains unsigned after hitting .239 with 13 homers while serving primarily as the club’s designated hitter. McCutchen played for the Phillies from 2019 to 2021.
Ozuna is a three-time All-Star himself and a career .269 hitter in 13 seasons with Miami, St. Louis, and Atlanta. The native of the Dominican Republic has batted over .300 three times, most recently in 2024.
One of the few places where Ozuna has struggled is PNC Park, his potential new home. Ozuna is a career .225 hitter with just one home run in 36 games at the ballpark that has been historically difficult for right-handed hitters.
The Pirates are banking on Ozuna figuring it out to give a left-handed dominant lineup a little balance. Lowe, O’Hearn, and outfielder Oneil Cruz are lefties. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds is a switch-hitter.
The Pirates begin spring training when pitchers and catchers report to their complex in Bradenton, Fla, later this week.
