The Philadelphia Phillies have played at a high level over their past 10 games, sitting at 8-2 in their last 10. Currently 15-9 and in second place in the National League East, the Phillies are in a great position to keep pace with the Atlanta Braves and fight for the division when the season ends.

While they’ve played better in recent weeks, there’s still been massive struggles out of one of their best players.

Nick Castellanos, who some believed could be dealt this offseason. isn’t doing what he’s here to do, which is to hit at a high level. Castellanos is slashing .184/.245/.207 in his first 87 at-bats of the season. To make matters worse, he hasn’t hit a home run or double this season.

If he’s going to hit below .200, he at least needs to find a way to rack up extra-base hits. All in all, it’s been a mess for him in the early stages of the season.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report released his one reason to panic for each fan base article and wrote that the two-time All-Star is “awful.” Awful is a tough way to put things, but he’s been brutal to start the year.

While Castellanos has had his struggles in big parts of the season for this organization, especially in the postseason last year, he still managed to hit 29 home runs with 106 RBIs in 2023.

The struggles look like they’ll continue, too. Castellanos’ xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, barrel percentage, and chase percentage are all in the fourth percentile or worst, according to Baseball Savant.

If this continues, adding another outfielder at the deadline becomes an even bigger need, even without factoring in Johan Rojas.