3:20 p.m: The Phillies have now officially declared Realmuto on IL, listing his illness as a strained back. To open the 40-man spot for Stubbs, the right hand Max Lazar was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Lazar started the season on 15-day IL due to a strained left oblique. His 60-day count resets at the start of the season, so he could be reinstated at the end of May. He has not yet started the repair work.
1:10 p.m: The Phillies will field a catcher JT Realmuto on the 10-day disabled list due to a back injury, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Catching partner Garrett Stubbs will be chosen to replace Realmuto on the active roster. A corresponding move would be needed to open up a 40-man spot for Stubbs.
Realmuto was ruled out of Saturday’s game due to back tightness. He sat out games on Sunday and Monday before joining the team on Tuesday, although Gelb noted that the injury was still holding him back. It seems like the Phils and/or Realmuto decided he needed to rest, rather than trying to fix the problem.
That’s probably the wisest decision in the long run but timing is a challenge for the Phillies. They got off to a brutal 8-15 start to the season. They could be the worst team in the majors if not for the Mets who are struggling even more. The offense has been the weakest part for Philly so far, as they have only scored 80 runs. The Mets and Giants are the only MLB teams with fewer.
Losing Realmuto won’t help. He hasn’t been hot this year but his .259/.344/.352 line translates to a 100 wRC+, which shows he’s been exactly league average. Catchers are usually ten points below average, so that’s actually solid production for the backstop. And it has value in the context of many other hitters on Philadelphia’s struggling roster.
For at least ten days, the Phillies will go with a pair of Rafael Marchán and Stubbs behind the plate. Marchán has been part of Philly’s catching mix for years, starting in 2020, but hasn’t been able to get much playing time behind Realmuto. He has just 271 major league plate appearances spread across the years, with a .223/.283/.364 line and 77 wRC+. That includes a brutal .065/.094/.161 line so far in 2026.
Stubbs also has Philly years on the roster but both he and Marchán had no options through 2026. The club met with Stubbs playing other positions in the spring but ultimately made the decision to go with Marchán as a backup and drop Stubbs from the roster. He cleared waivers, allowing the Phillies to keep him as an undrafted depth closer.
That led to today’s return to the big stage. He has an excellent .289/.413/.632 line in Triple-A this year, but in a small sample size of ten games and 46 plate appearances. In his major league career, he struck out 521 times and produced a .215/.293/.310 line and a 70 wRC+.
Stubbs and Marchán will try their best to cover Realmuto’s absence but his IL time will make it difficult for them to get out of this first round. Ideally, he will recover and return after a short absence. As mentioned, both Stubbs and Marchán are out of options, so one of them will be delisted when Realmuto’s IL is completed.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
