The San Diego Padres are preparing for their opening day game, hosting the Detroit Tigers. They have some new faces, as the Padres signed Nick Castellanos after his release from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now, Padres star Manny Machado is speaking out about Castellano joining the squad, per Marty Caswell of Foul Territory TV.
“He's great. He has been awesome. He has been awesome to be part of this group, and I think it fits him really well with the group that we have here. As you can see, I think he brings the best out of everyone, and we bring the best out of him. His work ethic is through the roof,” Machado said to reporters standing in front of his locker.
Castellanos broke into the majors in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers. He would ultimately be shipped to the Chicago Cubs during the 2019 season, before playing two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. The outfielder, known for his timely home runs, joined the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season.
In his four years with the Phillies, he hit .260 with a .306 on base percentgae. He also hit 82 home runs while driving in 326 RBIs and scoring 287 times in his four years. He is a lifetime .272 hitter with 250 career home runs and 920 career RBIs.
Castellanos will not be starting in his first game against the left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal of the Tigers. With Framber Valdez slated to pitch game two for the Tigers, he may not get his first start until the Padres face Jack Flaherty in the third game of the season.
