NEW YORK — On one hand, the condition of J.T. Realmuto’s right knee is of such little concern that neither the Phillies nor Realmuto have sought diagnostic testing to take a deeper look.
But, well, this is Realmuto, the 130-game catcher and most indispensable player on the roster. So, when he wasn’t in the lineup for a second game in a row Monday night, it was clearly not nothing.
Realmuto described the issue as “soreness” in his knee. He began feeling it when he tripled in the rain on May 4 at Citizens Bank Park but said it didn’t crop up again until Saturday night in Miami when it “gradually got a little worse and worse.”
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“We’re just going to treat it for a couple days and see how it feels and go from there,” Realmuto said before the Phillies opened a two-game series against the Mets. “I’ve dealt with this same right knee issue in the past, and it’s been something that, I give it a two- or three-day rest and it usually feels better after that.”
Kyle Schwarber, meanwhile, didn’t start for a third consecutive game due to lower back soreness. But Schwarber appeared as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, and struck out. Manager Rob Thomson, meanwhile, continued to characterize Realmuto as “day to day.”
With an early start Tuesday (1:10 p.m.), it might not be until Wednesday at home that Realmuto or Schwarber returns to the lineup.
While the Phillies feel the absence of both players, cogs in one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses, it would be difficult to withstand a long-term injury to Realmuto because of his positional value.
There’s a reason why Realmuto plays more often than any catcher in baseball. No offense to backup Garrett Stubbs, popular in the clubhouse for his taste in celebratory music, red-pinstriped victory overalls, and general good nature as a teammate, but the drop-off to a replacement-level player is steeper at catcher than at any other position.
If the Phillies put Realmuto on the injured list, he would need to remain sidelined for a minimum of 10 days. But they also can’t mess around at catcher. If he was unable to play at all, even in an emergency, they would have to make a roster move.
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Realmuto said he doesn’t believe that’s necessary. Neither, according to Realmuto and Thomson, is testing when resting should do the trick.
“That’s kind of the level of concern we’re at right now,” Thomson said, dismissively.
But Realmuto also conceded that the soreness progressed over the weekend.
“Originally it was just running for the most part. I would feel soreness like right after sprinting,” Realmuto said. “The last couple games, Friday and Saturday, I started to feel it a little more catching. And that’s when I just got a little more worried, like I didn’t want to push it too much and put it in a position to hurt it worse.”
Maybe rest really is all Realmuto needs. Even after not starting the last two games, he’s on pace to start 131 games after starting 130 in each of the last two seasons. It’s a virtually unprecedented workload for a 33-year-old catcher.
Asked if the Phillies will need to be monitor Realmuto’s playing time, Thomson said, “I monitor everybody every day of the season.”
Besides, the options in triple A are 31-year-old Aramis Garcia and 29-year-old José Godoy, who carried OPS percentages of .381 and .324, respectively, entering the week. Former prospect Rafael Marchán is scheduled to begin playing only minor-league rehab games this week after a spring-training back injury.
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Regardless, then, of the state of Realmuto’s knee, catching depth is shaping up as the Phillies’ top organizational need.
“I’m a guy that takes pride in playing and being out there with the guys and doing what I can to help the team win,” Realmuto said. “It’s never good timing to not be in the lineup. Obviously we’ve been playing good baseball. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Taking a Turn
If the Phillies hadn’t tied the game in the sixth inning Sunday, Spencer Turnbull might have pitched more than one inning in relief. But for a second consecutive outing since he moved to the bullpen, the game situation caused a change in plans.
“Everybody seems to think he’s just a long guy. Well, he’s not,” Thomson said. “We used him for one inning in the sixth, and then we went to our other leverage guys like we normally do.”
Thomson said the Phillies still intend to use Turnbull in multiple-inning situations that will keep his arm stretched out for a likely inevitable return to the starting rotation later this season. But game situations will dictate his usage more.
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Extra bases
Brandon Marsh started against a lefty for the second consecutive game. He was 4-for-30 with 16 strikeouts against lefties and didn’t have a hit against a lefty starter since April 12 (Pittsburgh’s Bailey Falter). … This week marks the Phillies’ first home-and-home series in a non-COVID season in 34 years. They played in Montreal on April 16-18, 1990, before hosting the Expos for one game on April 19. … Aaron Nola (4-2, 3.67 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Mets righty José Buttó (1-2, 3.00).
