One of the best teams in baseball will be without one of its star players for the foreseeable future.
Tuesday, The Phillies announced Catcher JT Realmuto is scheduled to undergo meniscus removal surgery in his right knee on Wednesday.
Realmuto, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with what was described as “right knee soreness,” appeared in both games of the Phillies’ London series against the Mets this weekend, going 1-for-8 with 1 walk.
Phillies President Dave Dombrowski told reporters: The team expects the catcher to be out for about a month.
The 2024 season has been a bit of a challenge for the three-time All-Star catcher. He is reportedly battling knee problems. About a month ago.
Realmuto appeared in just 51 of the Phillies’ 65 games, missing most of May with a sore knee, but still batted .261 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs.
The 33-year-old is considered one of the best catchers in baseball, but his production this year tells a different story.
Realmuto’s strikeout rate of 26.9 percent is the best of his career, and he’s a minus-1 defensive rating as a catcher.
as a whole, According to FangraphsRealmuto produced a 1.0 WAR (wins above replacement), which ranks 18th among MLB catchers.
Backup Garrett Stubbs filled in for Realmuto but struggled, batting just .173 with a .463 OPS in 19 games.
In response to Realmuto, Philadelphia recalled Rafael Marchand from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Marchand has a weighted run creation plus (wRC+) of 86 in nine International League games this year, appearing in 20 games with the Phillies at the major league level in 2021 and three games in 2020 during the COVID-19-shortened season.
If Realmuto is sidelined for several months, Dombrowski may consider acquiring a catcher before the trade deadline.
Potential trade targets could include Toronto’s Danny Jansen and Colorado’s Elias Diaz, who will become free agents after this season.
Despite losing Trea Turner to a hamstring injury in early May, the Phillies have not been discouraged and boast a major league-best winning record of 45-20 and remain nine games ahead of the NL East.
Philadelphia will be trying to maintain momentum without their new star player for the next few weeks, maybe months.
