JT Realmuto is back in the Phillies’ lineup, as the shortstop has been officially placed on the team’s 10-day injured list. The right hand Yunior Marte also called up from Triple-A, and in a related move, a catcher Rafael Marchan and the right hand Michael Mercado they were optioned to Triple-A.
After knee surgery on June 12, the expectation was that Realmuto would need about a month to recover, so he’ll be back just a little beyond that timeline (with the All-Star break giving him more time). The first-place Phillies recently continued their outing without Realmuto, Trea Turner again Brandon Marsh and having longer IL periods, too Bryce Harper again Kyle Schwarber had a minimum IL absence of 10 days.
With Realmuto back, Philadelphia is working with all of its first-round picks again, making things even more scary for opposing pitchers. Realmuto’s contributions to this powerhouse lineup have been modest, as he hit .261/.309/.411 over 223 plate appearances.
While still pretty good for a catcher and above average (102 wRC+) overall, Realmuto’s 26.9% strikeout rate is the highest of his career, and his 5.4% walk rate would be his lowest since 2016 while with the Marlins. Both of these rates are below the league average, although Realmuto is still at an 88 percent hit-ball rate and continues to hit the ball, with seven homers so far this season. The defense was a mixed bag, with Realmuto throwing out 29% of tackles but his blocking and framing work was minimal. Even if Realmuto is slowing down a bit in his age-33 season, he’s still the Phillies’ best player, and he shouldn’t be the top contributor in such a loaded at-bat.
Marchan saw his first MLB action since 2021 in Realmuto’s absence, and looked impressive hitting .294/.345/.549 over 56 plate appearances. Despite these numbers, it’s possible that Marchan was selected to continue getting regular playing time in Triple-A rather than getting limited action as Realmuto’s backup, so. Garrett Stubbs it will continue in the running program in the backup role.
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