SAN FRANCISCO -- The Phillies added another regular player to their injured list Sunday when right fielder Nick Castellanos was shut down with a strained right oblique muscle. Manager Rob Thomson called the injury mild and said he hoped Castellanos could return once the 10-day assignment was complete.
Castellanos joins top starter Zack Wheeler, closer Seranthony Dominguez, starting pitcher Zach Eflin and setup man Corey Knebel on the IL.
Castellanos' injury left the Phillies very thin in the outfield. To fill his roster spot, the team brought up 26-year-old career minor-leaguer Dalton Guthrie, an infielder/outfielder, from Triple A. He arrived shortly before Sunday's 1:05 p.m. local time start against the Giants.
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"If we didn't have a 1 o'clock game, he probably would have been in the lineup," Thomson said.
With lefty Carlos Rodon pitching for the Giants, Thomson sat lefty-hitting center fielder Brandon Marsh and played Matt Vierling in center field. Nick Maton, he of four big-league starts in the outfield, all in left, was given the assignment to play one of the toughest right fields in baseball. Seventy-five minutes before game time, he was on the field doing drills with outfield coach Paco Figueroa.
The Phillies face another lefty, Miami's Jesus Luzardo, Tuesday at home. Thomson said the righthanded-hitting Guthrie would likely start that game in either center or right field.
The Phillies selected Guthrie as an infielder in the sixth round of the 2017 draft out of the University of Florida. Never considered a top prospect, he began playing some outfield in 2021 and has played well in center field and right field for Lehigh Valley this season. At the plate, he was hitting .302 with 10 homers, 52 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and an .839 OPS.
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"He's a good player," Thomson said. "He can play anywhere on the diamond. He's hit extremely well this season. He's played really well. He's earned it."
To make room for Guthrie on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated infielder Luis Garcia for assignment. The team invested $2.5 million in Garcia's signing in July 2017 and he led the Gulf Coast League in hitting at .369 in 2018. He did not build on that success and battled a hand injury this season.