June 11, 2024
John Geliebter/USA TODAY Sports
J.T. Realmuto has dealt with nagging injuries over the last few weeks. Now, the Phillies' trusted backstop is headed for knee surgery.
In the culmination of several weeks worth of damage to their star catcher's right knee, on Tuesday the Phillies placed J.T. Realmuto on the 10-day Injured List and announced that he would undergo surgery on his meniscus tomorrow in Philadelphia.
In the middle of May, Realmuto missed three consecutive games due to soreness in the same knee. Since returning to action, he has seen a few more off days than he normally has in the past. Realmuto has logged at least 134 games played in each of his full seasons with the Phillies, a testament to remarkable durability for someone on the wrong side of 30 playing the game's most physically-taxing position.
As the corresponding move, the Phillies recalled catcher Rafael Marchán, who along with Garrett Stubbs will be behind home plate for the time being.
After a slow start to the season, Realmuto heated up in May upon being placed in the second spot in the batting order to replace the production of the injured Phillies star shortstop Trea Turner. Now, the Phillies will need another player — perhaps right fielder Nick Castellanos — to fill in for Realmuto in that spot of the order, with Turner potentially being ready to return at some point this week.
Realmuto is slashing .261/.309/.411 on the season, with seven home runs.
Realmuto has long been considered the Phillies' most indispensable hitter — not just because of all of the things he does well on the field, but because the team lacks a reliable backup. Stubbs is beloved in the team's clubhouse and is credited with doing a good job of preparing pitchers and guiding them through games, but in 184 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2023 regular season is slashing .194/.273/.255.
Now, Phillies manager Rob Thomson will ask Stubbs, Marchán, Castellanos and the rest of his hitters to step up in the absence of a player who has long been considered an iron man.
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