Philadelphia Phillies' JT Realmuto Talks About His Timetable To Return

The Phillies star catcher gave an update for his return to action on Tuesday.

Aug 27, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto (10) hits an RBI double against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their superstar catcher to a knee injury for which he had to undergo a procedure. He was placed on the 10-day IL and expected to miss about 4-5 weeks before returning. The 33-year-old should be ready by the All-Star break.

"I had this exact same procedure in 2019, and from the day I had that procedure, I didn't feel it again," the veteran said before Tuesday's game. "So I expect this one to be the same where once I get back on my feet, I shouldn't feel pain in that area again."

Realmuto has been one of the most reliable players in terms of health for Philadelphia over the past five seasons. Outside of the shortened 2020 season, he has played at least 134 games in every year with the Phillies. He's had just one other IL stint with the Phillies, which came in 2021. He has been the epitome of health.

Given that he has dealt with a similar injury before, it seems that he knew what had to be done.

"I was hoping initially that I'd be able to make it through the season, then after a week it was like maybe I can get to the All-Star break, and it kept getting worse and worse," he began.

""We wanted to get it taken care of now so I'm not feeling it later in the season. That was a lot of the thought into is that I don't want to be feeling this in September or October and the way it was going, we knew we would need surgery eventually," he explained as to why he decided to have the procedure when he did.

While the catcher hasn't been the same player he was two years ago, he is still an intregal part to the Phillies' lineup. With a slashline of .261/.309/.411 and seven home runs, he's still an above average hitter with a 104 OPS+. He's also still elite in terms of pop time and caught stealing.

In his absence, the Phillies are going with a time share at catcher. Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan are splitting the catching duties, based on who is pitching. Stubbs, who is a glove first backup, currently has a 38 OPS+ and Marchan has five hits, including a home run, in his first three games.

Philadelphia currently sits eight games above the Braves in first place in the NL East and has been one of the best teams in baseball as of late. Even though they've kept it going without him, they are eagerly awaiting the return of Realmuto next month.