Nick Castellanos, a key player for the Phillies, recently emphasized the importance of J.T. Realmuto to the team, calling him the backbone of the Phillies. Unfortunately, Realmuto is set to have surgery for right knee meniscectomy in Philadelphia on Wednesday. This surgery will keep him out for an extended period even though initially he was placed on the 10-day injured list for knee pain.
Realmuto has been playing through knee soreness for about a month and the recovery time for MLB players from a partial medial meniscectomy, like what Mike Trout underwent, typically ranges from 4 to 8 weeks. Whether Realmuto is facing the same injury and timeline is not yet clear. More details are expected after Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, meets with reporters in Boston before a series with the Red Sox.
The team has depth in various positions but lacks it behind the plate. With Realmuto out, Rafael Marchan has been called up from Triple A to share the catching responsibilities with Garrett Stubbs. However, beyond them, there is little depth and the Phillies may have to seek another catcher through a trade.
The Phillies currently hold a comfortable lead in the standings but losing Realmuto is a significant setback as he contributes in numerous ways on and off
