Why Padres DFA'd Nick Castellanos during homecoming series vs. Phillies

The San Diego Padres have had some incredibly poor offensive performances this season from big-name stars. Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. have all struggled this season.

But, they aren't the only ones struggling. Nick Castellanos is another slugger who has been struggling to get things going. That won't be a problem anymore, however.

As the Padres announced, they have designated Castellanos for assignment. But why did the Padres DFA this veteran outfielder during his homecoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies? It's a simple reason: Castellanos wasn't hitting well.

Why Padres DFA'd Nick Castellanos

"We have designated 1B/OF Nick Castellanos for assignment and selected the contract of INF/OF Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso. Taylor will wear No. 0," the Padres announced Wednesday.

The Padres are making this roster move, DFA'ing Castellanos amid the Phillies series in Philadelphia, due to how poorly Castellanos has been hitting this season.

He has a .191 batting average with four homers and 20 RBIs on the season with a .560 OPS. Only Freddy Fermin, all the way down at a brutal .403 OPS, has a worse OPS mark this season among Padres hitters with at least 100 at-bats.

His struggles were just too much for the Padres, and since he doesn't provide much baserunning upside or defensive prowess, it makes sense why they decided to designate him for assignment.

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Taylor is an interesting call-up for the Padres, as this season he has a .906 OPS and .319 batting average with seven homers, nine stolen bases, and 25 RBIs at Triple-A. The 27-year-old is getting a chance to provide a spark to this struggling Padres offense.

This roster move should not come as a surprise, as Castellanos has struggled far too much this season offensively to justify his lackluster defense and base-running ability to remain on the roster.

The Padres need offensive help, and badly. Castellanos wasn't providing such offensive help, and he's now been DFA'd to shake things up after a 3-2 loss on Tuesday night to Castellanos' former team.

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