Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto to undergo knee surgery; placed on 10-day IL
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will undergo meniscectomy surgery on his right knee and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, the team announced.
"J.T.'s going to work hard, I know that," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before a three-game series against the Red Sox.
Thomson said the All-Star break from July 15-18 could cut down on the games Realmuto will miss.
In his absence, the Phils recalled Rafel Marchán from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Realmuto's spot on the team's 26-man roster. Marchán will serve as a backup to Garrett Stubbs.
Realmuto, 33, will have the surgery on Wednesday in Philadelphia to address the pain in his right knee. The Athletic reported that Realmuto had been playing through the pain for nearly a month with a small tear in his right meniscus. Realmuto and the Phillies ultimately decided now would be the time to address the injury as the team returned Monday night from the London Series against the New York Mets.
Realmuto is the latest Phillies player to end up on the injury list in the 2024 season. The team is already without shortstop Trea Turner and left-fielder Brandon Marsh.
With Turner sidelined, Realmuto filled his spot in the two-hole in Philadelphia's lineup and excelled between left-handed hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Through 51 games, Realmuto is slashing .261/.309/.411 with a .720 OPS. His seven homers are tied for most among all catchers in the National League and he ranks third in runs scored with 28 and fourth in extra-base hits with 16.
Realmuto has also had a career-high 17-game hitting streak, which was the longest for a Phillie who primarily played catcher since 1900, according to the team.
And the Phillies won't only miss Realmuto's offense. He's one of the best defensive catchers in baseball with a rocket for an arm. Realmuto's 2.84 catchers ERA ranks first among all catchers in the NL.
J.T. Realmuto injury: How long will the All-Star catcher be out?
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters on Tuesday that Realmuto is expected to miss about a month.
Dr. David Rubenstein, the head of sports medicine at Lankenau Hospital, said the recovery could be a couple of weeks depending on how the rehab goes.
Rubenstein said the surgery does not appear to be serious and it's minimally invasive.
"It's serious enough that in a catcher who bends and squats," Rubenstein said. "It produces pain and sometimes swelling… the treatment is orthoscopic surgery and most likely it'll be for what we call partial meniscectomy removal of the torn or loose pieces getting tethered when he squats down."
The injury comes as the Phillies lead the NL East by nine games over the Atlanta Braves. Rubenstein said he expects Realmuto to return to playing with no lingering issues.
