Report: Nick Castellanos Injures Oblique, Headed for MRI

Philadelphia Phillies' slugger Nick Castellanos injured his oblique during Friday night's contest in San Francisco, he's headed for an MRI.

It finally seemed like Nick Castellanos was turning a corner. Since July 31 he had been slashing .318/.348/.505. The power was finally coming back too. Five home runs and five extra-base hits in that span meant his ISO was a respectable .187, but nothing can go right for Castellanos in 2022.

According to a report by NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, Castellanos injured his oblique on a swing last night. He's headed for an MRI on Saturday to survey the damage.

Oblique injuries are seldom short recoveries, especially for older players. One lower-grade strain cost Jay Bruce a month and a half in 2019. In addition to that is the turf toe that Castellanos has struggled with the past weeks.

As the injuries pile up for the Phillies' slugger, it's hard to imagine he'll be entirely healthy for the playoffs, though he certainly shouldn't be ruled out from playing again in 2022 at this point.

Further complicating the picture is Bryce Harper's injured UCL, which has kept him out of right field, resigned to DH for the rest of 2022. Should he have been able to take the field, it would have opened up a spot for Darick Hall in the lineup as a DH.

Unfortunately, it seems the Phillies are hamstrung with Matt Vierling and Nick Maton sharing outfield duties, though Vierling has begun to turn things around of late. He's slashing .379/.438/.552 over his last 10 games.

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