Phillies cannot win World Series if Castellanos remains a zero

"You're either milk or wine. There's no in the middle."

That was Nick Castellanos speaking to The Athletic's Matt Gelb back in March when describing players as they age and his desire to continue to play at a high level in his 30's.

Game one of the NLCS. That was the last time Castellanos recorded an extra base hit. He went 0-20 in the final six games of that series. Fast forward 10 games into the 2024 season, the Phillies right fielder is off to an awful start at the plate and something must be done.

Casty is 4-35 with 10 strikeouts and zero extra base hits this season, slashing an abysmal .114/.244/.114. Every player goes through slumps, but this seems to be something more.

What may be most maddening is manager Rob Thomson's insistence on sitting younger and far more productive players like Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh vs certain pitching, yet the automatic out in Castellanos has played in every game. If body language tells a story, it's that of a man who quickly becomes defeated once he's down in the count.

When you sign a player to a five-year, $100 million dollar contract like the Phillies did with Castellanos in March of 2022 (three-years, $60 million remaining), you probably should not take drastic steps immediately.

But would it be so horrible to sit him for one game? If that doesn't work, maybe drop him even further in the order? If that doesn't work, a weekend off?

The goal and the expectation is to win the World Series. You don't get there if Nick Castellanos is a zero.