PHILADELPHIA — There’s no question that the Phillies can survive a moderately long absence of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. They have the pitching, they have the defense, and they have the offensive depth.

That is, they have the offensive depth if $100 million right fielder Nick Castellano starts earning his money. After Thursday night’s injury-addled, bullpen-collapsing, badly defensed loss to the lowly Marlins, Castellanos was hitting .222 with a .622 OPS; the OPS ranks 185th among players who’ve played at least 50 games.

This is not an aberration.

His average salary of $20 million ranks 40th among position players, but, among players who’ve played at least 200 games since 2022, Castellanos’ OPS of .727 (after Thursday) ranked 152nd. His 53 homers tie him for 59th.

Not a lot of bang for the buck.

It’s long past time to see this Big Game Nick show up with some big games, like another Nick did before him.

Don’t despair. Castellanos has carried this ball club before.

Briefly.

Tough Thursday

Thursday was a rough day for Phillies fans, spoiled to that point by a team that spent most of the season boasting one of the best records in baseball. This edition might have the best roster in the history of the franchise, but not only did the bullpen turn a 3-0 lead into a 7-4 loss, Schwarber strained his groin, Harper pulled a hamstring, and suddenly, first place in the National League East didn’t seem as likely as it did 24 hours before.

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