PHILADELPHIA — This is a make-or-break season for the Phillies, so they aren’t taking any chances with any clubhouse cancers.

A fading talent who will be 34 in less than a month, malcontent right fielder Nick Castellanos was released by the club on Thursday afternoon. That was one day after pitchers and catchers reported and four days before full-squad workouts begin, but position players typically trickle in a day or two early.

The Phillies didn’t want Castellanos showing up. Not after the crap he pulled last season, when he put his desires above the team. And not after the crap he pulled Thursday. In fact, nobody might want Castellanos after his latest stunt.

It will cost them the last $20 million on the five-year, $100 million contract that he has never played up to. Twenty mil is a bargain to remove a player like this.

Their decision to release Castellanos immediately gained merit. Upon his release, Castellanos posted on Instagram a page-and-a-half screed scrawled on loose-leaf notebook paper explaining the notorious incident in Miami last season that betrayed his selfishness, insubordination and disrespect for the game.

The details of the incident had been shrouded in mystery. The Phillies said only that Castellanos had been insubordinate to Phillies manager Rob Thomson. Castellanos refused to provide details. As it turns out, according to his post, Castellanos actually brought a beer from the clubhouse to the bench, and then began berating his manager in front of the team.

He should have been released that night.

To review:

On June 16 in Miami, Thomson replaced Castellanos in right field for a defensive replacement. Castellanos is rated by Baseball Savant as the second-worst outfielder in the majors since he arrived with the Phillies in 2022.

Amid all of the bizarre aspects of the Castellanos situation, the fact that Castellanos took offense to being replaced — a move that clearly benefited the team — is the most appalling aspect. Every star on the Phillies roster has sacrificed preferences at some point.

Castellanos is a Florida native. He had friends and family in the ballpark that night. He was embarrassed. So, after he left the game, he went to the dugout, got a bottle of Presidenté, and went back to the dugout to insult his boss.

“I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning,” Castellanos wrote Thursday (we cleaned up his spelling and grammar).

You know what’s conducive to winning?

Getting Nick Castellanos out of right field every chance you get.

Castellanos wrote that, after the game, he, Thomson, and Dombrowski “Aired out our differences” in Thomson’s office and he apologized. Castellanos was benched for the next night’s game as punishment. He wrote that the team told him not to divulge the details of the incident.

He also wrote that his confession Thursday was spurred not by any heartfelt impulse to make things right, but rather by pure, unadulterated self-preservation; as usual, Nick’s looking out for Nick. Castellanos wrote that he was preempting a story about the incident being written “without my consent or comment.”

What’s going on in that mind of his? The media have sought his comment for months. The media do not need his consent to write about him.

At any rate, to Thomson’s discredit, Castellanos got his way.

Thomson never again pulled Castellanos for defensive purposes. By the end of the season, Castellanos was playing so poorly he’d been reduced to a platoon role with Max Kepler.

With Castellanos clearly poised to exit the team one way or another, Thomson was asked at the end of the season if he would have issues managing Castellanos again. Thomson said he would not have a problem.

Castellanos clearly did have a problem with Thomson.

As part of the Instagram post, Castellanos included a similar, separate goodbye message for the fans, his teammates, owner John Middleton, Dombrowski and most Phillies personnel. He singled out outfield coach Paco Figueroa, who has spent endless hours working on Castellanos’ defense the past 3 1/2 seasons (after Castellanos admitted that he wasn’t always engaged when playing outfield). To his credit, Castellanos, a converted infielder who is leaden-legged and devoid of outfield instinct, worked hard to improve as a fielder.

Notably, though, Castellanos clearly made it a point to exclude Thomson in his thanks.

That “apology” on June 16 certainly was not heartfelt.

We’re not naive here. If Castellanos had earned his money at the plate, he’d still be a Phillie. If he’d hit .300 with 30 homers every year, he could’ve brought a keg into the dugout and done keg-stands. “Topper” would’ve held his feet.

However, Castellanos hit just 82 home runs in the next four seasons, which tied for 60th. His OPS of .732 ranked 130th, three points lower than former Phillies prospect Mickey Moniak.

It will be interesting to see how other teams view Castellanos as a player and a person. Despite his oddities and antics, he remained a popular character in the Phillies’ clubhouse. He has a big personality, he works hard, he is kind, and he is a devoted father.

There’s plenty of tread left on his tires. He’ll find a home with some team as a right-handed designated hitter. But he’ll be a DH with baggage.

He wrote in his Miami manifesto:

“I will learn from this.”

We’ll see.

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