Phillies Get Awful News With J.T. Realmuto Injury Update

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to cement themselves as the National League team to beat, the franchise received horrible news on Tuesday regarding one of their key players.

The Phillies announced that starting catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the injured list with "right knee pain." The team added that the 33-year-old backstop will be undergoing surgery on Wednesday, leaving time to tell just how much time he'll miss.

Realmuto's placement is retroactive to Sunday, meaning that the earliest he can return is for the start of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 21. Having said that, the fact that he's undergoing surgery means he might be out of the lineup until July.

Phillies Injury News: JT Realmuto Placed on 10-Day IL

While the Phillies' announcement is shocking to some, it doesn't exactly surprise a chunk of the fanbase. Realmuto has already missed 14 of Philadelphia's first 65 games due to knee issues and now The Athletic's Matt Gelb is reporting that it's the same reason why the three-time All-Star is landing on the IL.

Losing a key player for any amount of time is rough, especially when it's a team's starting catcher. Realmuto has been terrific ever since he joined the Phillies in 2019 and has cemented himself as one of the best at his position with two Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger awards, and a pair of All-Star appearances across the five previous seasons.

Even with injuries interrupting the current campaign, Realmuto has been his usually productive self with seven home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .261/.309/.411 slash across 207 at-bats. At the same time, the fact that he's slashing .135/.200/.189 with five hits in his last nine games shows that his knee pain has become detrimental and that some rest is necessary.

With Realmuto sidelined, Philadelphia will roll with Garrett Stubbs as the starting catcher. The former 2015 eighth-rounder already has 14 starts under his belt this season, batting .184 with a double, three RBIs, and a trio of stolen bases in those opportunities.

The Phillies also recalled Rafael Marchan from Triple-A Lehigh High Valley to serve as Stubbs' backup. The 25-year-old Venezuelan talent is batting .233 with two HRs and eight RBIs in 13 games in the minor leagues this year. However, he hasn't made an MLB appearance since September 2021.

Hopefully, Realmuto doesn't miss too much time and quickly rejoins the Phillies on their championship pursuit. Even with their starting catcher hurt, the Phils are still viewed as one of baseball's best teams as they currently hold the third-best 2024 World Series odds (+600) on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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