The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve optioned catcher Garrett Stubbs to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In doing so, they all but confirmed that switch-hitting Rafael Marchan will be their backup catcher.
Stubbs, 31, is the far more experienced of the two and performed better in limited spring action, but Marchan is out of minor league options. Going with Stubbs, who’s in his final option year, would’ve required removing Marchan from the 40-man roster. A 26-year-old switch-hitting catcher with sound defensive skills would hardly have been a lock to pass through waivers. The Phils opted to preserve their catching depth by giving Marchan the opening day roster nod.
Sending Stubbs to Triple-A is possible right now, but if he’s called to the big league roster for a couple months — say, in the result of an injury to Marchan or J.T. Realmuto — the situation could become more complicated. Stubbs has 4.120 years of MLB service. He’s 52 days shy of reaching five years. If he were to accrue those 52 days in 2025, he’d reach the point where he cannot be optioned unless he consents to the move. Having a pair of backups who can’t be optioned could prove problematic and result in a situation where the Phillies likely have to part with one of their backups. We’re a ways from reaching that point, but it’s a possibility at some point in 2025.
For now, the Phils will hope Marchan can continue at the pace he’s displayed in his fleeting MLB looks across the past three seasons. He’s tallied 121 plate appearances in that time and slashed .279/.333/.477. That’s plus production for any hitter but massive output for a catcher, though Marchan’s Triple-A work doesn’t necessarily support the notion that he can maintain that. He hit quite well in Lehigh Valley in 2023 but struggled at a .229/.340/.297 pace with the IronPigs in 2024.
Overall, Marchan is a lifetime .238/.328/.328 hitter in 216 Triple-A games. Despite the lackluster Triple-A performance, with Realmuto entering the final season of his contract, the Phillies understandably don’t want to risk losing a controllable, switch-hitting catcher whose defensive skills they appreciate and who has hit well in limited MLB work. Keeping him on the roster always seemed the likeliest outcome.
Stubbs has been the Phillies’ primary alternative to Realmuto in recent seasons, though he hasn’t garnered more than 187 plate appearances in any season. He’s a .222/.305/.324 hitter in 433 plate appearances with the Phillies but draws above-average grades for his throwing and solid marks for blocking balls in the dirt. Stubbs is a .272/.369/.404 hitter in a near-identical sample of Triple-A plate appearances to Marchan.
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb chatted with Stubbs and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about the decision. Dombrowski acknowledged that it was a difficult conversation to have with Stubbs, who is beloved in the clubhouse, draws praise from the staff for his game-planning and receiving, and is being sent down for factors largely out of his control.
It’s a tough personal scenario to manage but I think the Phillies made the right choice. They need t see if Marchan is a viable MLB option to cover 1/3 of the games behind the dish to give JT a break. He may not turn into “the guy” but if he can be a worthy solution if they work on a 1-2 year extension for JT it could turn out to be the right play.
So true, but tough break for Stubbs.. Uncle Rico, you of all people would know, because if the coach had put you in the fourth quarter, you woulda been state champions.
Reading between the lines of the Lauber article in the Inky, Stubbs was a bit more chapped about things than the Gelb article allowed, but I can’t blame him for the mild frustration. He handled it really well however, and seems like he will embrace the AAA role with aplomb.
It is time to see what Marchan will bring them; this whole thing was foreshadowed by the split contract deal with Stubbs. Phils get a good look at Rafael and still have the depth with Stubbs in LHV. Smart baseball.
Stubbs will be back. Marchan (Andrew Knapp 2.0) will be on the DL by April 15
Stubbs isn’t needed now that the Phillies have Taijuan Walker to finish out lost games.
It’s a shame they did not address this catching situation over the winter. Because it is gonna be a mess in short time
Marchan did not “win” the job, it was handed to him.
Marchan had a nice run when Realmuto went down with the knee injury. He went back to Lehigh Valley and got hurt or sick or both. I don’t see him staying healthy through June.
It’s just going to be a matter of who stays healthy. Joe Maddon would’ve stacked catchers and threw a bench spot at them. They wouldn’t buy that philosophy so here we are.
I don’t think anyone should be surprised by this move! Marchan was out of options and Stubbs had the ability to be optioned. They need to see if Marchan can fill the role right now.
Stubbs is close to a point where he can’t be sent to the minors without his okay—about 52 days of big-league time away. Marchan already can’t be sent down without risking losing him to another team. If Stubbs gets called up for a while this season (like if someone gets hurt), the Phillies could end up with two backup catchers they can’t send to the minors without jumping through hoops.