Slumping Nick Castellanos batting eighth as Phillies take on Marlins

At his lowest point — coincidentally, during the Phillies’ last series against the Marlins in August — Trea Turner got dropped to the eighth spot in the batting order. He hasn’t stopped hitting since.

Now, the Phillies are hoping for a repeat with Nick Castellanos.

With Castellanos in the midst of a 3-for-29, 11-strikeout slump in September, manager Rob Thomson put the cleanup hitter in the No. 8 spot Saturday against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. It marked the first time since June 4, 2015 — Castellanos’ second full season in the majors with the Tigers — that he batted so low.

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Castellanos responded with two hits, including a two-run double in the second inning that started the Phillies to an 8-4 victory.

“I’m sure he’s not exactly happy, and I don’t blame him for that,” Thomson said. “But the one thing about Casty, he posts every day, and he never complains. Ever. He’s a pro.”

Castellanos wasn’t at his locker during the media’s pregame access, didn’t take batting practice on the field because of a thunderstorm, and didn’t make himself available after the game.

Thomson said he met with Castellanos late Friday night to discuss the shuffle. He considered other configurations that would have bumped down Castellanos but not as drastically. Thomson settled on the No. 8 spot because it allowed the Phillies to alternate left- and right-handed hitters throughout the lineup.

Castellanos has bounced back after a disappointing first season in Philadelphia. But as bad as it got at times in 2022, Thomson never batted him lower than sixth.

“I think it’s a little longer lineup now this year,” Thomson said. “To create balance throughout the lineup, some guys are going to have to hit down there. Putting Casty in the eight, you figure ahead of him, [Bryson] Stott’s going to get on base, [Brandon] Marsh’s going to get on base. So he’s going to get ample opportunity to produce.”

Alec Bohm, who ranks second on the team with 86 RBIs, moved into the cleanup spot against Marlins righty starter Johnny Cueto, with righty-hitting J.T. Realmuto in the No. 6 spot.

Castellanos represented the Phillies in the All-Star Game and was batting .269 with 22 homers and a .758 OPS entering Saturday night. But he also has oscillated between solid months (April, June, and August) and difficult ones (May and July).

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After batting .301/.344/.496 with 13 homers in 372 plate appearances before the All-Star break, Castellanos was hitting .214/.241/.381 with nine homers in 220 plate appearances in the second half.

“He’s just jumping,” Thomson said. “He just needs to stay back and see some pitches and use the field.”

In good times and bad, Castellanos is a “super aggressive” hitter, in Thomson’s words, with a tendency to swing at first pitches and chase balls out of the zone. Through Friday, he led the Phillies with a 41.6% chase rate, according to Statcast.

Castellanos swung at four first pitches in Friday night’s 3-2 loss to the Marlins and saw a total of nine pitches in four plate appearances. He grounded out the first pitch from Marlins reliever Andrew Nardi with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning.

The Phillies are hoping the move down in the order will enable Castellanos to better channel his aggressiveness and get hot again before the end of the season.

Hey, it worked for Turner, who spent three games in the eight-hole before gradually climbing back to his regular No. 2 spot.

“Maybe it’ll let him get back to his game where he’s taking a few more pitches, being a little more selective, using the entire field, not trying to do too much,” Thomson said. “I’m confident he’s going to start hitting again. When he does, we’ll move him up.”

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Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies’ nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually to one player who represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions on and off the field. ... The Phillies marked Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in a pregame ceremony. Among those who participated: Christie and Chris Phelan, parents of late Phillies minor league pitcher Corey Phelan, who died last October. ... Turner and Stott are the first Phillies teammates to have at least 25 stolen bases apiece in a season since Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins in 2014. The Phillies haven’t had two players with 30-plus steals since Juan Pierre and Rollins in 2012. Stott has 28 steals, while Turner has 26. ... Ranger Suárez (2-6, 3.91 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday. The Marlins haven’t listed a starter.