Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Star Catcher to Undergo Surgery Wednesday

The Philadelphia Phillies star catcher got bad news as he's headed to surgery tomorrow.

Dylan Sanders

May 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto in a game against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Sports
May 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto in a game against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies received bad news as they sent a star player to the injured list on Tuesday.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the 10-day IL with a retroactive start day to yesterday. He is scheduled to undergo right knee meniscectomy surgery on Wednesday, per team. No time table has been set for his return.

In the meantime, Philadelphia has recalled Rafael Marchan to occupy the active roster spot. Marchan will compete with the struggling Garrett Stubbs for a starting spot while Realmuto is out.

This is a tough blow for the Phillies, even though the 33-year-old has been struggling over the last month.

For the season, he has a slashing line of .261/.309/.411, but that has gone down to .103/.188/.138. The knee pain could have been playing a factor in his recent struggles.

This also isn't the first run in with knee issues this season, as the same thing kept him out back in May.

Ideally for the team, he won't be out for too long, as they don't have much in terms of a solid back up plan.

The current backup catcher, Stubbs, hasn't provided much help off the bench this season. He's slashing a .173/271/.192 line in 19 games this season.

Marchan hasn't played in the majors since 2021, but has mostly solid in Triple A for the past few seasons. It wouldn't be a complete surprise to see him earn some playing time.

The good news for Philadelphia is that they've built up such a lead in both the NL East and playoff race as a whole, they should be able to survive a short stint without their star catcher.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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