PITTSBURGH — Thirty-eight days after knee surgery, J.T. Realmuto stepped into the batter’s box with a resounding ovation in a visiting ballpark. It was as if he had never disappeared. The Phillies and Realmuto had made a calculated decision that was not without risk. He could have kept playing, albeit at a compromised level. Or he could rest for six weeks — longer than he’s ever sat during a baseball season in his life — and hope that everything could push forward without him.
The Phillies went 17-15 without their star catcher. That alone did not justify the decision to have surgery to repair a small tear in his right meniscus. But Realmuto, with the power of reflection, can appreciate the thought that went into the plan.
“No doubt,” he said. “It was definitely the right thing to do.”
He can feel it.
“Knock on wood, my body will feel great,” Realmuto said. “I’ll have less wear and tear on my body come October than I normally do. I’ll have a whole lot less innings. Obviously, I would never wish to get surgery. But, hypothetically, I’ll be in a good position later on. I’ll be in a better-off spot for it than had I not — for sure.”
The Phillies missed Realmuto in ways both obvious and obscure. They sent Rafael Marchán, the 25-year-old catcher who played well in a timeshare with Garrett Stubbs, to Triple-A Lehigh Valley because Realmuto intends to play his standard (large) share of games. He’ll probably sit Sunday afternoon, play Monday and Tuesday, then have Wednesday and Thursday’s scheduled off day to recover.
About a week from now, he’ll be untethered.
“And then,” he said, “I go.”
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Stubbs and Marchán are both defense-first catchers, and the Phillies wanted them to direct their energy toward handling the pitchers. There were few complaints from the staff about how the reserves called games. But Realmuto is on a different level; coaches and pitchers gush about Realmuto’s recall during games. There is a bond between many of the pitchers and Realmuto forged over years of working together that Stubbs and Marchán could not emulate.
There should be hidden gains with Realmuto calling games again. It’s one of the last unquantifiable aspects of the sport. Realmuto’s work with the current starting staff, which pitches deep into games and not always with an overpowering arsenal, is integral.
“He knows what I like in certain situations,” Zack Wheeler said of J.T. Realmuto. (Bill Streicher / USA Today)
Ranger Suárez and Zack Wheeler, who will return to the rotation Monday and Tuesday in Minnesota, should benefit from Realmuto’s return. The Phillies were leaning more on pregame plans without Realmuto behind the plate. That work will continue, but there is a greater confidence in Realmuto going off-script when the game dictates it.
“He knows when to push them, when to pull back, when to love on them,” Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said. “It’s just a lot of the feel-based stuff. Like: When should this guy throw three fastballs in a row even though he throws a lot of breaking balls? Or it’s just that in-the-moment-type stuff. Call it magic, or game theory, or whatever. It’s not on a card, but it works.
“He notices those opportunities. And he can go there because he’s thinking clearly. It’s not fancy. He has the opportunity for magic and noticing when something might be better than a heatmap would say. Maybe there’s something this guy doesn’t do, but it’s something I have to do because I’m going to do something else after. He just balances that very well.”
Some of it is subtle. Wheeler likes a specific target when he throws an elevated fastball. It was harder for Stubbs and Marchán — because they are smaller catchers — to put the glove where Wheeler wanted it. Wheeler was clear: Both backups worked hard to learn his tendencies and do what he wanted. He praised them. But physical limitations were difficult to overcome.
Realmuto sets a big target. Wheeler has thrown to him for five years.
“He knows what I like in certain situations,” Wheeler said. “He knows my first and second options to right-handed or left-handed hitters to open up a batter, to finish a batter. And it’s just a rhythm thing.”
The Phillies had a nine-game lead in the National League East when Realmuto went on the injured list. He returned with the Phillies ahead by eight games. He slotted fifth in the lineup, drew a walk, and went from first to third on a ball hit to left field. He threw out a would-be base stealer. The Phillies lost 4-1 to the Pirates and have dropped three straight for only the second time this season.
They made a bet six weeks ago. It was a good one because it was done with October in mind. Everything is about October — even in the middle of the summer.
“It felt like a decision that we just needed to make,” Phillies general manager Sam Fuld said. “And ultimately, J.T. knows himself better than anybody. You certainly defer to him in many ways in terms of the timing of it. We were fortunate enough to put ourselves in a good position at the time where we didn’t feel like we needed to win 15 in a row to stay alive in a playoff race.”
Realmuto, before the injury, caught with his right knee on the ground. He changed his stance in May because it was too painful. He put his left knee down. It prevented him from blocking certain balls he’d normally stop. He is back to catching how he did in the past.
He played through a meniscus injury in 2019 because he could tolerate it. He estimated he was sometimes playing earlier this season at 60 or 70 percent. It was untenable.
This, to Realmuto, is like a brand-new season.
“It’s going to be weird,” he said. “I’ve never had this big of a gap of not playing. So, honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to feel. I know I’m going to feel fresh to start, obviously, because I haven’t played in six weeks.
“My mind is set on having a really good second half, winning this division, and being healthy for the postseason. That’s kind of been my mindset this whole time.”
(Top photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
