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J.T. Realmuto

Phillies Notes: Realmuto, Gregorius, Neris

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Trailing 7-0 after three innings against the Cubs today, the Phillies ended up rolling to a 17-8 blowout win.  It wasn’t a perfect day for the Phillies, however, as J.T. Realmuto is “sore” after being hit by a pitch in his left elbow/triceps area, manager Joe Girardi told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters.  X-rays were negative on Realmuto though he might be held out of the lineup tomorrow as a precaution.

Realmuto already had to hit out Tuesday’s game after receiving an injection in his bothersome right shoulder, and needless to say, the Phillies can hardly afford to lose one of their best hitters while in the thick of the playoff race.  Realmuto was 1-for-4 with two RBI in today’s victory, bumping his slash line up to .267/.353/.443 over 479 plate appearances this season.

The latest from Philly….

  • “It’s been frustrating basically the whole year with what’s going on,” Didi Gregorius told Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer, as the shortstop said a misdiagnosed elbow injury and then lingering elbow soreness have led to his underwhelming performance.  Gregorius spent over six weeks of the season on the injured list due to a form of arthritis in his right elbow known as pseudogout, though he was initially listed as having only an elbow impingement, and the pseudogout diagnosis wasn’t known until Gregorius had already missed around three weeks.  Even after returning from the IL on July 2, the Phillies shortstop said he continues to feel lingering soreness in his elbow.  Gregorius said his personal doctor felt that a COVID-19 vaccine could be responsible for the elbow issues, as Gregorius said the soreness developed shortly after he was vaccinated in late April.  However, Gregorius also noted that his doctor “didn’t give me like 100%” certainty that the vaccine was the cause, and Breen quotes two other medical experts who state that there was little to no evidence that vaccination would lead to gout or pseudogout, and certainly not a case that continues to linger for months.  (Breen writes that the Phillies “declined to comment on Gregorius’ claim about the vaccine.”)  Gregorius’ own doctors have recommended an arthroscopic procedure to fix his elbow once and for all, though somewhat curiously, Gregorius hasn’t yet discussed offseason treatment plans with the Phillies or their medical staff.  Gregorius came into today’s action hitting only .217/.276/.377 over 351 plate appearances.
  • In another COVID-related item, the Phillies announced that 85% of players and staff at the big league and Triple-A levels have been fully vaccinated.  This meets the league threshold for relaxed coronavirus protocols, such as less social distancing within the clubhouse and less travel restrictions.  The exact number of MLB teams to meet the 85% threshold isn’t officially known, though the Phils are known to be one of the last teams to reach that number.
  • Hector Neris is a free agent this winter but “I have been available all the time” for a potential reunion with the Phillies, the reliever tells The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.  The struggling Phils bullpen figures to undergo a major overhaul, so re-signing Neris could be a possibility just because he has pitched well on the whole this year, if not well enough to keep his job as closer back in June.  Neris has posted a very strong 31.4% strikeout rate but a below-average 9.5% walk rate while posting a 3.39 ERA over 63 2/3 innings.  Neris is open about pitching in any bullpen role with his next team, saying “You have to try to help the team where you are….If you are flexible, if you are a guy a team can use everywhere, you are more valuable.”

Injury Notes: Realmuto, Torres, Bieber

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J.T. Realmuto is day-to-day with left ankle soreness after the Phillies star made an early exit from today’s 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks.  Phillies manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury) that Realmuto hurt his ankle during a fifth inning at-bat, which forced Realmuto be replaced in the field to begin the sixth inning.

The Phils can only hope that Realmuto’s injury isn’t too serious, as the All-Star is perhaps the indispensable member of the roster.  Though Realmuto has been ticketed for most time at first base, he is still the team’s primary catcher, and his absence will further test a position already thinned by the absence of Andrew Knapp (positive COVID-19 test).  Rafael Marchan is the only other available backstop, and the Phillies would have to create a 40-man roster spot to add the contract of Tyler Heineman from Triple-A.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • The Yankees announced that Gleyber Torres will begin a minor league rehab assignment today at Double-A Somerset.  A left thumb sprain sent Torres to the 10-day injured list on August 9.  Assuming no setbacks, New York manager Aaron Boone told ESPN’s Marly Rivera and other reporters that the hope is Torres can be activated when the Yankees begin a home series with the Orioles on Friday.  While Torres has been hitting well since the All-Star break, his overall numbers haven’t been very impressive this year, with a .253/.328/.351 slash line and six home runs over 407 plate appearances.
  • Shane Bieber threw a 36-pitch, up-and-down bullpen session on Friday, Indians pitching coach Carl Willis told The Akron Beacon Journal’s Ryan Lewis and other reporters.  Bieber tossed another bullpen earlier this week and is in line for one more on Tuesday, and a simulated game could be the next step in Bieber’s rehab.  The ace has been on the injured list since June 14 due to a shoulder strain, and while there is still a ways to go in Bieber’s recovery, he seems to be on pace to return to the mound before the season is through.

Phillies Notes: Eflin, Realmuto, Bradley

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Zach Eflin’s season could be in jeopardy following both a positive COVID-19 test and a recurrence of his right knee injury.  Phillies manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen) that he doesn’t expect Eflin to be doing much throwing during the right-hander’s mandatory 10-day minimum quarantine period, giving Eflin even less time to get prepared for a return to the mound before the regular season is up.

Eflin hasn’t pitched since July 16 due to patellar tenditis in his right knee.  He was activated from the 10-day IL on Thursday for an expected start, but he was scratched from that outing due to more knee problems.  Eflin was then placed on the COVID-related injury list the next day in the wake of his positive test.

It remains to be seen if Eflin will miss only 10 days recovering from the coronavirus, though he has already been fully vaccinated.  This 10-day break could essentially serve as a shutdown period that may have been required anyway, considering the sudden return of Eflin’s knee issue.  Still, the first step of that knee rehab can’t really begin until Eflin is COVID-free, limiting his chances of returning.

The righty has enjoyed a solid season, posting a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings and 18 starts in the Philadelphia rotation.  After a career-best 28.6% strikeout rate in 2020, Eflin’s K-rate returned to career norms with a below-average 22.4% mark this season.  However, Eflin has been better at ever at limiting free passes — his 3.6% walk rate is the lowest of any pitcher in baseball with at least 100 innings pitched in 2021.

Eflin’s potential absence for the remainder of the season won’t help the Phils in their attempts to make a late run at a playoff spot.  Philadelphia entered today’s action with an even 64-64 record, 5.5 games back of the Braves in the NL West and six games out of a wild card spot.  Eflin had been a solid No. 3 pitcher behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the Phillies’ rotation, though trade deadline acquisition Kyle Gibson, Ranger Suarez, and Matt Moore now look to be rounding out the starting five for the remainder of the year if Eflin can’t make a comeback.

The Phillies were further hampered by the loss of Rhys Hoskins to season-ending abdomen surgery earlier this week, and the club plans to use J.T. Realmuto help fill the void at first base.  Getting out from behind the plate could also help Realmuto manage an injury of his own, as the All-Star catcher told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and other reporters that he has been battling some soreness in his right shoulder.

Realmuto described the issue as “normal everyday wear and tear,” to the point that he even downplayed the position change as a way to keep him fresh.  “Everybody on the field is feeling some sort of tired or some sort of pain right now,” Realmuto said.  “Mine just happens to be in my shoulder.  I feel it a little bit hitting.  I feel it sometimes throwing, but I don’t think it’s actually affecting my play at all.”

Considering Realmuto has an .874 OPS over 87 plate appearances in August, he certainly doesn’t seem any worse for wear.  For the season, Realmuto is hitting .263/.351/.447 with 14 homers over 422 PA.  Realmuto is no stranger to first base, having played 40 games at the position over the last five seasons.

Archie Bradley is also dealing with right shoulder discomfort, Girardi said, though the problem isn’t considered serious.  Bradley hasn’t pitched since Tuesday, when he allowed two runs in an inning of work against the Rays.  Bradley has a 3.12 ERA over 40 1/3 innings out of the Phillies bullpen this season, with a 54.4% grounder rate helping paper over some unimpressive Statcast metrics.

Phillies Reinstate J.T. Realmuto From Injured List

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The Phillies have reinstated catcher J.T. Realmuto from the injured list, the team announced. Catcher Rafael Marchan has been optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

As expected, Realmuto will have missed just the minimum amount of time after suffering a hand contusion. He is back in the lineup batting cleanup and catching today with a .294/.400/.494 batting line on the season. To no one’s surprise, he has been every bit the franchise catcher the Phillies expected when they re-signed him to a five-year deal this winter.

The 22-year-old Marchan held his own standing in for Realmuto with a .231/.286/.308 line across 14 plate appearances. Obviously, that’s a far cry from the production offered by Realmuto, but expectations come on a sliding scale.

Marchan actually brought a little more thunder at the plate than regular backup Andrew Knapp, who has struggled this year with just a .145/.205/.184 line. Knapp is in his fifth season as the backup catcher in Philly, but if he continues to struggle, the Phillies could give Marchan another look. Given Knapp’s longstanding role in Philadelphia, however, it’s more likely that Marchan will continue to get his reps in Triple-A unless there’s another injury.

Phillies Place J.T. Realmuto On 10-Day Injured List

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The Phillies have placed catcher J.T. Realmuto on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand contusion, with a retroactive placement date of May 18.  Matt Joyce has been activated from the 10-day IL to take Realmuto’s spot on the active roster.

Realmuto has missed the Phils’ last four games due to a bone bruise on his left hand.  Prior to that injury, Realmuto had also missed a couple of games due to a knee bruise and a non-COVID illness, so a stint on the injured list might be what the star catcher needs in order to fully recover from this flurry of issues.  Waiting to decide on Realmuto’s IL placement now looks like a mistake on the Phillies’ part, as between Realmuto and other minor injury absences, the team was short-handed on more than one occasion in recent days.

Regardless, the team now finds itself officially without the game’s best catcher for at least another week, counting the three days’ worth of backdating allotted for an IL placement.  Realmuto has been even more productive than usual, hitting .294/.400/.486 with four home runs over his first 130 plate appearances of the season.  Extrapolated over a full season, Realmuto’s batting average, OBP, wRC+ (144) and OPS+ (147) would all be new career bests for the 30-year-old backstop.

There is no way to truly replace Realmuto, so the Phillies will have to make do with the tandem of Andrew Knapp and Rafael Marchan while the former All-Star recuperates.  Realmuto joins Didi Gregorius, Roman Quinn, and Scott Kingery on the injured list, in the biggest blow yet to a lineup that has been around the middle of the pack in overall offensive production.

Joyce’s return could provide some help, if the veteran shakes off his early-season slump (.423 OPS in 38 PA).  Joyce suffered a right calf strain that sent him to the injured list on May 5.  After signing a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason, Joyce has appeared in 18 games for the team, playing both corner outfield roles.

Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto Day-To-Day With Injuries

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10:28PM: If losing Harper wasn’t enough, J.T. Realmuto is also day-to-day after re-aggravating his left wrist injury, manager Joe Girardi told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other reporters.  Realmuto was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of tonight’s game.  Realmuto missed two games earlier this month with what was described as an issue with his left hand.  Girardi is doubtful either Harper (whose shoulder problem emerged in Saturday’s game) or Realmuto will be available tomorrow.

8:55PM: Bryce Harper left the Phillies’ game with the Blue Jays tonight due to right shoulder soreness, the Phils announced.  Harper struck out swinging in both of his at-bats, and he was replaced by Scott Kingery in right field when the Phillies took the field for the bottom of the fourth inning.

This is the latest injury to hamper Harper this season, as he has previously missed time due to back soreness, a balky wrist, and (most concerning) after being hit in the face by a Genesis Cabrera fastball back on April 28.  Harper has missed eight games due to these issues but hasn’t had to hit the injured list, and thus hasn’t any major interruption in what has been an outstanding season for the 28-year-old.

Harper is hitting .313/.442/.571 with seven home runs over his first 138 plate appearances, good for a spectacular 173 wRC+.  While there’s obviously a long way to go in the 2021 season (and an injury could change the equation for Harper entirely), this represents Harper’s best wRC+ since his 197 number in his 2015 MVP season.

It remains to be seen if Harper’s injury will result in an IL stint, and naturally there isn’t an easy way for the Phils to truly replace his offensive production.  Mickey Moniak, Travis Jankowski, and Ryan Cordell are among the top outfield options at Triple-A, and Kingery is available on the big league bench.  Roman Quinn and Matt Joyce are both on the IL themselves, further thinning Philadelphia’s outfield depth.

Phillies Reinstate J.T. Realmuto From Covid-Related IL

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MAY 14: The Phillies announced that they have reinstated Realmuto and optioned righty Enyel De Los Santos to Triple-A.

MAY 13: 10:40am: Realmuto did not test positive, manager Joe Girardi tells reporters (link via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). He developed a fever and grew ill last night, however, so the Phils have moved him to the Covid list to perform testing. He is not traveling with the team at the moment.

10:10am: The Phillies announced this morning that catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the Covid-19-related injured list. Fellow catcher Rafael Marchan is up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his spot on the active roster for the time being.

The team did not indicate at this time whether Realmuto has tested positive or is on the Covid list as a close contact or for contact-tracing purposes. In the event of a positive test, he’d be away from the club for a minimum of 10 days.

Realmuto, 30, is out to the finest start of his career in 2021, slashing a robust .314/.418/.520 with four homers, seven doubles, a triple and three steals through his first 33 games. That excellent production comes despite suffering a fractured thumb that cost him much of Spring Training. Recently, Realmuto has missed a couple games due to a minor knee injury, though the expectation had been that he’d avoid the IL for that particular issue.

With Realmuto sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period of time, the Phillies will turn catching duties over to Andrew Knapp and the aforementioned Marchan. That pairing certainly can’t be expected to replicate Realmuto’s contributions at the plate — few catchers could — but Knapp did turn in a .278/.404/.444 line through 89 plate appearances last year. He’s out to a much slower start in 2021, however, and is an overall .228/.332/.345 hitter in 712 Major League plate appearances. The 22-year-old Marchan is one of the organization’s top prospects and is out to a .250/.429/.313 start through 21 plate appearances in Triple-A. He went 4-for-8 with a homer and a walk in a brief MLB debut effort last summer.

Pennsylvania Notes: Hayes, Goodwin, Howard, Realmuto

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The latest on the Keystone State’s two MLB teams…

  • Pirates GM Ben Cherington provided reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) with an update on Ke’Bryan Hayes, saying that the third baseman hasn’t yet started to swing a bat, but is still “feeling improvement” in his bothersome wrist.  Hayes has been sidelined since the second game of the season and has already been dealt with one setback in his recovery process.  Cherington didn’t give a timetable on a potential return for Hayes, though he will be joining the Pirates on their upcoming road trip from May 3-9.
  • Brian Goodwin wasn’t on the list of names slated for the Pirates’ preliminary Triple-A roster, and Cherington told The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel that the team hopes to have the situation with Goodwin’s opt-out clause settled in a day or two.  Goodwin’s minor league deal with the Bucs contains an opt-out clause in May, and it remains to be seen if that opt-out date could be extended, or if Goodwin could leave the organization, or even if Goodwin could be called up to the Pittsburgh roster.  Gregory Polanco, Bryan Reynolds, and utilityman Phillip Evans comprise the team’s first-choice starting outfield mix, with utilityman Wilmer Difo and recent waiver claim Ka’ai Tom on the bench.  The veteran Goodwin would certainly represent a more experienced, outfield-only presence on the roster, and Goodwin can play all three positions.  As per the terms of the minor league deal, Goodwin would earn $1.6MM if he made Pittsburgh’s active roster.
  • The Phillies announced earlier this week that top pitching prospect Spencer Howard was going to be stretched out for a rotation spot, though president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski provided a bit more detail on Howard’s role to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters.  Howard might technically start a game, but “we’re talking about giving him two-, three-, maybe even a four-inning type of thing,” Dombrowski said.  “But we’re not talking about stretching him out to those number of innings where you consider him as a starting-starting pitcher, per se.”  Between Howard’s health history and the lost 2020 minor league season, the Phillies are being careful with their young hurler’s arm, targeting him for an unspecified innings limit in 2021.  The Phils initially aimed to use Howard as a reliever this season, but plans changed given the lack of production from the fourth and fifth spots in the team’s rotation.
  • J.T. Realmuto has been out of the Phillies’ starting lineup for two straight games due to a sore left hand.  The catcher suffered the injury while trying to block a wild pitch in Thursday’s game, with the ball hitting the heel of Realmuto’s hand.  It isn’t yet known how much more time Realmuto will miss, though it might not be too serious a situation, considering Rafael Marchan was optioned back to the alternate training site earlier today — Realmuto and Andrew Knapp are the only catchers on Philadelphia’s 26-man roster.

Marlins Rumors: Yermin, Greene, Dickerson

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The Marlins’ offseason trade interest in Willson Contreras was fairly well documented, but it appears he wasn’t the only Chicago catcher pursued by the Fish. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report that the Marlins also made an “aggressive” attempt to acquire Yermin Mercedes from the White Sox but couldn’t convince the South Siders to part with him. “Aggressive” is a relative term, but in the case of Mercedes, nearly any focused effort to pry him away could’ve been seen as such prior to Opening Day. He’d logged only a single MLB plate appearance prior to the 2021 season and entered the year as a 28-year-old with 53 Triple-A games under his belt. Scouting reports on Mercedes have universally tabbed him as a DH-only prospect who lacks a true defensive position.

There’s been no ignoring Mercedes’ remarkable breakout at the plate to begin the season, however. The bat-first characterization of his skill set looks to be well deserved, as he opened the year with an incredible eight consecutive hits and is now 16-for-32 with a pair of homers, three doubles and four walks to match his four strikeouts. Mercedes obviously won’t sustain a .538 average on balls in play, but at least early on, he looks the part of a strong DH option. Even with some regression to be expected, the torrid start has surely quelled any temptation for the White Sox to trade the “Yerminator.” The Marlins, meanwhile, figure to continue looking for catching help this summer and into next offseason, per Mish and Jackson.

A few more notes out of South Florida…

  • While the Marlins may be seeking catching help now, they had one of the game’s top all-around backstops not long ago. Miami traded J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies prior to the 2018 season, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal sheds some light on talks that took place with another interested party: the Reds. Talks between Cincinnati and Miami weren’t a secret at the time, and it’s been previously reported that current second baseman Jonathan India and catcher Tucker Barnhart were among the players who could’ve potentially been sent to the Marlins in a Realmuto deal with the Reds. The breaking point in talks, according to Rosenthal, was that the Reds staunchly refused to part with flamethrowing righty Hunter Greene in the deal. Greene was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 Draft, and while he’s since had Tommy John surgery, he remains a highly regarded pitching prospect. Then again, righty Sixto Sanchez, whom the Marlins actually did pick up in their eventual trade of Realmuto, is widely considered among the game’s top overall young talents.
  • Corey Dickerson doesn’t appear to be in the Marlins’ plans beyond 2021, Jackson and Mish add in the previously linked Herald column, making a trade at this year’s deadline appear possible. Dickerson stood out as a rather logical on-paper trade candidate in the first place, as a veteran on an expiring contract with an up-and-coming team that most do not expect to contend for a playoff berth. Dickerson, who’ll turn 32 in May, has batted just .259/.314/.402 through his first 243 plate appearances as a Marlin dating back to 2020. He inked a two-year, $17.5MM deal to serve as Miami’s primary left fielder, and while his power and exit velocity have dropped off, his strikeout and walk rates have actually improved a bit with the Fish. As of this year’s July 30 trade deadline, Dickerson will still have $2.97MM remaining on this year’s $8.5MM salary, plus an additional $1MM owed to him in the form of a deferred signing bonus. The Marlins could need to absorb a portion of that sum in order to bring about a trade.

Jeff Mathis Granted Release By Phillies

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The Phillies announced Wednesday that veteran catcher Jeff Mathis, who was in camp on a minor league contract, has requested and been granted his release by the club. He’s once again a free agent.

Mathis, 38 next week, went 6-for-29 with a homer and a pair of doubles with the Phillies this spring. His chances of making the roster seemed to improve when J.T. Realmuto sustained a small fracture in his thumb early in camp, but Realmuto has returned to the lineup and is now looking likelier to be ready for the opener. Mathis’ release only seems to add to that likelihood.

Now back on the market, Mathis will likely seek another opportunity from a club looking to add a glove-first backup behind the plate. Offense has never been Mathis’ calling card, but his bat bottomed out from 2019-20 with Texas, when he produced just a .159/.212/.252 batting line through 312 plate appearances. His work this spring was a bit more encouraging, however, and Mathis has long been regarded as one of the game’s premier defensive players at any position. Even if last year’s defensive ratings took a dip, another club in need of a lightly used backup could show interest in bringing him aboard for his defensive aptitude and the extensive knowledge he can share with the organization’s younger catchers and/or pitchers.

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