Padres Dump Nick Castellanos After 39 Games, Call Up Samad Taylor

3 articles · Updated · MLB.com · Oct 13

San Diego designated 34-year-old Nick Castellanos for assignment Wednesday in Philadelphia, ending a short-lived bench role and replacing him with versatile outfielder-infielder Samad Taylor.
Castellanos hit .191 with a .560 OPS and four homers in 39 games, production the Padres judged insufficient for a club with the majors' worst batting average and fewest runs scored.
Taylor offers speed, defense and flexibility across all three outfield spots and both middle-infield positions; he hit .319 with a .906 OPS in 51 Triple-A games but owns a .205 average in limited MLB time.
The move follows San Diego's earlier call-up of Jase Bowen, another speed-and-defense option, signaling a bench reset as the Padres search for offense and more dynamic roster pieces.