Nick Castellanos was ready to return to the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2026 season, honoring the final year of his contract with the organization.However, the Phillies had other ideas for his future, and his exit from the team became very public. The veteran quickly signed with the San Diego Padres, with the team very excited about having brought him in.For the first time since leaving Philadelphia, Castellanos faced off against the Phillies. The former All-Star reflected on his time with the team, confirming that he was ready to return.“Yeah, I told them, like, ‘Hey, I’m coming,’ and I was told not to go,” Castellanos said Monday. “Well, you know, I’m an employee. So if I’m an employee, I’m going. Then make me not an employee, and then I [won’t] go. That’s kind of like the way that it ended up.”Nick Castellanos talks about his time with the Phillies, the way his tenure ended in Philadelphia, communication with the Padres, and the Phillies managerial switch from Rob Thomson to Don Mattingly ahead of the Padres-Phillies series. pic.twitter.com/b1pzxfZB3B— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) May 25, 2026In the first game against the Phillies, Castellanos was given the start, but he went 0-for-4. While he didn't contribute at the plate, the band-aid was ripped off in facing his former team.Castellanos had one more year left on his five-year, $100 million contract with the Phillies when he was let go. The Philadelphia media cast doubt on his character, including publishing a story about him bringing a beer into the clubhouse during the 2025 season.This had many around the league wondering about Castellanos, but the Padres looked past it all. The veteran wasn't happy about how the team handled things, but there is no ill will with the organization any longer.“What am I going to sit here and start thinking about a bunch of stuff and be playing judge and jury?” Castellanos said. “I could do that. But that’s not going to help anybody or make any situation better. They handled it the way that they handled it and obviously it led to just me being in a tough spot at the end, not really knowing what was up.” Now with San Diego, Castellanos has been trying his best to leave the past behind. The veteran is happy to be with the Padres, even with the initial decline in consistent playing time.This has been the biggest struggle for him this season, but the organization has been supportive. Castellanos has had a rough go at the plate to open the year, but he's tried to make different adjustments to help his swing. Overall, Castellanos has hit .183 with four home runs and 19 runs batted in while posting an OPS of .556. All the slugger can do is keep working on himself, staying ready for whenever his name gets called to help the Padres win games.Despite the way things ended with the Phillies, Castellanos saw a lot of success with the team, even reaching the World Series. Now, he is hoping to do the same with the Padres, and his experience could be massive for this club as they go after a title. Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest newsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow