Rob Thomson Provides Frustrating J.T. Realmuto Injury Update
By Jovan Alford
Update: Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters after Tuesday's game that J.T. Realmuto will play on Wednesday, barring anything unexpected, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball (29-13) heading into Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets but have been hindered by the injury bug lately.
Star shortstop Trea Turner is out for an extended period because of a hamstring injury, leaving the Phillies to play Edmundo Sosa, Whit Merrifield, and Kody Clemens at second base, while Bryson Stott handles shortstop duties.
Along with Turner, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has been dealing with a sore back, and now star catcher J.T. Realmuto is banged up.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters on Tuesday that Realmuto did some work on the field and in the cage this morning and said his knee is improving, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
However, Thomson added that he couldn’t say whether Realmuto would play on Wednesday.
J.T. Realmuto did some work on the field and in the cage this morning. Rob Thomson said the catcher’s knee is improving but could not say whether Realmuto would be play Wed. Garrett Stubbs has his third straight start. Tuesday day ball.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 14, 2024
The 33-year-old catcher reportedly tweaked his right knee earlier this month against the San Francisco Giants on May 4th after hitting a triple. Realmuto continued to play on the knee until this past weekend against the Miami Marlins.
It’s not great news to see the three-time All-Star catcher hindered by injury, as Philly’s offense has been rolling to start the regular season. However, Realmuto isn’t worried about a stint on the injured list and didn’t have an MRI on his right knee, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Therefore, until Realmuto is 100 percent ready to return, the Phillies will lean on backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who is making his third-straight start on Tuesday. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Stubbs is only 1-for-8 at the plate with two strikeouts, a stolen base, and an RBI.
However, the Phillies aren’t worried about Stubbs’ offense at the bottom of the batting order, as they need him to continue to call a solid game behind the plate.
More Phillies news and analysis:
feed