The Phillies got one of their most important players back Saturday in J.T. Realmuto, who was activated after spending 11 days on the injured list with a bruised left hand.
Realmuto was in Saturday’s lineup against the Rays in Tampa, catching and batting cleanup against left-hander Ryan Yarbrough.
The Phillies have missed their stud catcher. Injuries and routine off days have limited Realmuto to 32 starts behind the plate in the Phillies’ last 68 games dating back to 2020. In the last nine months, Realmuto has dealt with a hip injury, a fractured thumb and the bone bruise in his left hand that kept him out of games early in May and late. A Jose Alvarado pitch early in spring training caused the thumb injury, while a David Hale wild pitch in St. Louis bruised his hand.
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In Realmuto’s time as a Phillie, the team is 109-99 when he starts, 25-40 when he does not.
In 130 plate appearances this season, Realmuto has hit .294/.400/.486 with 12 extra-base hits and 17 RBI. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp is 11 for 76 on the season, hitting .145.
Rafael Marchan, who impressed again defensively in a brief stint as the backup catcher, was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley to make room for Realmuto.