With less than a week before their season opener against the Washington Nationals, the Philadelphia Phillies are making their final decisions about a few position battles. One of those included the controversial move of giving the backup catcher role to Rafael Marchan over Garrett Stubbs, despite the latter's better Spring Training performance. Now Stubbs is headed to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in his final option year.
Since arriving in Philadelphia via a trade with the Houston Astros in November 2021, Stubbs quickly turned himself into a fan favorite. Known as the "chief vibes officer," Stubbs gained a reputation as a clubhouse favorite, usually charged with the music selection. Obviously disappointed with the decision, the 31-year-old catcher made his first statement about getting sent down to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"It's not the first time I've ever been sent down. Obviously, it's the first time (with the Phillies). So getting that tap on the shoulder is not a good feeling. I knew it was a possibility coming into spring training, just knowing the circumstances with options and the business side of baseball, which can get crappy."Garrett Stubbs
For Stubbs, this is a disappointing outcome since the main impetus for the move is the fact that Marchan is out of minor-league options. The Phillies understandably didn't want to lose a 26-year-old switch-hitting catcher with strong defensive metrics. Stubbs, on the other hand, still has another year of options.
Stubbs will still have a chance to be called up in case of an injury to J.T. Realmuto or Marchan but he is 52 days shy of reaching five years of service. If he accrues those days this year, the Phillies will have a difficult decision to make.
While he is the more experienced player of the two, Stubbs has struggled immensely at the plate over the last few campaigns. He hit .206/.287/.271 with two home runs and 23 RBIs over the last two seasons for the Phillies. His Triple-A numbers, however, compare favorably to Marchan's. If he were to continue that during his time there, there may be more twists and turns in this position battle.