Philadelphia returns JT Ralmotto to 10-day injured list

JT Ralmotto He returned to Philadelphia’s lineup, as the midfielder was officially activated from the team’s 10-day injured list. Junior Marty He was also called up from Triple-A, and in corresponding moves, was the catcher. Raphael Marchand And the right hand Michael Mercado They were given the option to move to Triple-A.

After undergoing knee surgery on June 12, Ralmotto was expected to take about a month to recover, so he won’t be back until a little after that (with some extra time during the All-Star break). First-place Philadelphia has continued to win even without Ralmotto, Tria Turner And Brandon Marsh He also has long periods on the injured list, and Bryce Harper And Kyle Schwarber Having a minimum of 10 days IL absences.

With Ralmotto back, Philadelphia was back with all of its regulars, making things even more scary for opposing pitchers. Ralmotto’s contributions to this strong lineup were fairly modest, hitting .261/.309/.411 over 223 plate appearances.

While still very good for a catcher and above average (102 wRC+) overall, Realmuto’s 26.9% strikeout rate is on track to be the highest of his career, and his 5.4% walk rate would be his lowest since 2016 when he was still with the Marlins. Those rates are well below league average, though Realmuto is still in the 88th percentile for hard-hit ball rate and continues to strike out the ball, with seven home runs so far this season. The defense has been a mixed bag, with Realmuto getting 29% of runners on the bases but his blocking and framing work has been subpar. Even if Realmuto is slowing down a bit in his age-33 season, he’s still an overall addition to Philadelphia’s team, and he doesn’t have to be a major contributor in such a loaded batting order either.

Marchand made his first MLB appearance since 2021 in Ralmotto’s absence, and he looked impressive, hitting .294/.345/.549 over 56 plate appearances. Despite those numbers, Marchand was likely selected so he could continue to get regular playing time in the third base rather than getting limited work as Ralmotto’s backup, so Garrett Stubbs He will continue on the active roster as a backup catcher.