SAN FRANCISCO -- Health concerns continue to mount for the Phillies at a crucial point in the season.
As most of the players were putting on their road grays for Saturday afternoon's game against the Giants, Nick Castellanos changed into his street clothes and exited the clubhouse.
"I'm going for an MRI," he said.
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Castellanos felt an uncomfortable twinge in his right oblique while taking a swing in his second at-bat Friday night. He was out of Saturday's lineup.
More will be known about Castellanos' status -- the severity of the injury, the possibility of a stint on the injured list -- when the results of the MRI come back. In the short term, the Phillies are very thin in the outfield. Matt Vierling started in right field in place of Castellanos, who was hitting .322 in his last 31 games.
There was some hope that the injury was not serious. Manager Rob Thomson said the MRI was "more precautionary than anything." He added that Castellanos felt better Saturday morning.
Castellanos himself said he felt no popping sensation in his oblique Friday night and described the issue as more of a cramp.
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"I passed all my strength tests and all those things so if there is anything it's going to be pretty minor," he said. "We'll see. I've never dealt with any muscle stuff before in my career so we'll go get a picture and see what it looks like."
Castellanos missed three games earlier in the week with turf toe. Saturday was his first game back.
The Phillies' outfield depth for Saturday's game consisted of Nick Maton, Edmundo Sosa and Garrett Stubbs -- two reserve infielders and a backup catcher. All three have played some outfield and are capable of filling in there. Bryce Harper, who still has a tear in his right elbow, is not a candidate to play the outfield. In the minors, Simon Muzziotti is out for the season with a knee injury and Yairo Muñoz has missed time recently with a leg contusion. The team's outfield depth issue has put center fielder Dalton Guthrie on the map five years after he was drafted out of the University of Florida. He's having a strong season at Triple A and could be an option depending on need going forward.
In other injury news, Seranthony Dominguez said he felt "great" after a bullpen session Saturday. He will probably throw one more time in the bullpen early next week and could head off for a minor-league rehab outing or two after that. Zach Eflin continues to make strides in his quest to come back and help in the bullpen. He will throw to hitters Tuesday and could take his rehab to minors shortly after that if all goes well. Zack Wheeler remains sidelined and will be evaluated Tuesday.
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