While the Phillies have had a challenging start, it’s somewhat been overshadowed by the Mets’ own rocky beginning to 2026. Still, the National League East rivalry is feeling the strain, especially on Wednesday when things took a turn for the worse.
The Phillies placed catcher JT Realmuto on the injured list due to back spasms, calling up Garrett Stubbs from Triple-A to fill the gap.
Realmuto had left Saturday’s game against the Braves early, citing back tightness, and missed the following two games. He returned on Tuesday but struggled, going 0-for-4 in a loss to the Cubs.
At 35 years old, Realmuto came back to Philadelphia after signing a three-year, $45 million contract over the offseason. He’s been one of the few bright spots on a roster that hasn’t quite met expectations.
So far, his batting line sits at .259/.344/.352, marking a league-average performance. Although Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are performing as anticipated, many other regular players have faltered, contributing to the team’s seven-game losing streak.
Players like Adris Garcia (80 wRC+), Trea Turner (78 wRC+), Bryson Stott (46 wRC+), and Alec Bohm (10 wRC+) have all logged over 65 at-bats, but their offensive output hasn’t helped the team much.
Currently, the Mets hold a 12-game edge over the Phillies (7-16), but the Phillies remain only a game ahead at 8-15. Despite the struggles, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed that manager Rob Thomson’s job is secure, citing that the team simply hasn’t met its own standards of performance.
“We just haven’t played well. It’s really across the board,” Dombrowski said. “Some individual players are performing decently, but, collectively, none of our aspects—offense, pitching, defense—were remarkable.”
