It has been a dream start to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but the injuries have started to pile up as of late. Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh have already been out of the lineup for several weeks and on Tuesday, another All-Star contributor joined the list.
According to a tweet from the Phillies' official account, catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the 10-day injured list with “right knee pain.” They also announced that Realmuto will undergo surgery on Wednesday in Philadelphia. No timetable was given for Realmuto’s return.
The loss is a significant blow to the Phillies on both sides of the ball, as Realmuto has consistently been among the league leaders in games played behind the plate. His 51 games behind the plate rank seventh in MLB this season; in 2023, his 133 games were the most by anyone at the position.
A menisectomy is a procedure to remove part of the meniscus, rather than repairing it. As such, some reporters have speculated that Realmuto could miss less time than some might fear, with NBC Sports’ Corey Seidman tweeting that MLB players’ recovery timetable is typically four to eight weeks. Seidman was also quick to point out that it’s too early to tell if that timeframe applies to Realmuto since neither he nor the Phillies have yet addressed the media.
The Phillies haven’t had to use their backup catchers much in recent years but will have to rely heavily on them for the foreseeable future. Garrett Stubbs is slashing .173/.271/.192 in 19 games so far this season, whereas Rafael Marchán, who the Phillies recalled to take Realmuto’s spot on the roster, has just 23 big-league games to his name, and none since 2021.
Obviously, plenty of offensive contributors on the Phillies remain even with Realmuto joining the injury brigade. But losing an everyday catcher is one of the toughest things for an MLB team to deal with because of their impact on the pitching staff. Either Stubbs, Marchán, or both will have to step up in a big way, and there’s no guarantee Realmuto is back anytime soon.
