JT Realmuto was not put into the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting lineup for Game 1 of their doubleheader Sunday against the Miami Marlins, which won’t ease many anxieties on the health of the star catcher.
The 29-year-old All-Star experienced some hip discomfort while running down to first base during the ninth inning of Saturday night’s win over Miami and left early.
The Phillies have not provided an update on the Realmuto’s status, but his absence on the team’s newest crop of injured-list participants is promising. Philadelphia sent pitcher Spencer Howard to the 10-day IL after he experienced shoulder stiffness on Saturday.
Losing Realmuto for any sort of time, though, especially during such a packed schedule, could be costly considering Andrew Knapp is the only other catcher on the Phillies’ roster. And his production is obviously nowhere near Realmuto’s, who is deemed by many to be the best catcher in baseball.
The Phillies have 14 games over an 11-day stretch — a brutal stretch for any ballplayer, but especially for catchers, who play arguably the most taxing position in the game.
But not having Realmuto’s valuable bat in the lineup for a Phillies team that entered Sunday just 2.5 games out of first place in the NL East would be a noticeable, and potentially costly, absence.
