The Philadelphia Phillies opted to keep Garrett Stubbs as the backup catcher to J.T. Realmuto.
In turn, Rafael Marchán was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Realmuto was placed on the IL on June 11, retroactive to June 10, and had surgery on his right knee. Stubbs and Marchán took over the catching duties prior to his activation on July 20.
What was the reason for keeping Stubbs over Marchán?
“He played great,” Phillies’ manager Rob Thomson said of Marchán, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alex Coffey. “He showed us everything we needed to see from him. He’s a big leaguer. But he needs to play. He needs to be ready to play every day in case something happens here.”
Thomson went on to say that Stubbs has also done a great job while crediting his clubhouse presence. Stubbs is one of those guys that every clubhouse needs. According to a survey conducted by The Athletic of over 100 MLB players, Stubbs was in a tie for fifth place among all players for who his peers would most want on their team based solely on vibes. He brings the energy, and he’s even held the honors of being the clubhouse DJ.
Was this the right choice?
Stubbs doesn’t get much playing time, but he does have the trust of the pitchers when he gets his opportunities on the field. The 31-year-old is slashing .197/.288/.239 with only one home run and seven RBI in 133 plate appearances this year.
Marchán didn’t make the decision easy for the Phillies’ front office after an impressive 17-game stretch in the majors while Realmuto was out. The 25-year-old slashed .294/.345/.549 with a .894 OPS, three home runs, four doubles, and six RBI in 56 plate appearances. He also had a 33% chance of being caught stealing, which is above the MLB average of 31%, according to Statcast.
The switch-hitting Marchán is 6-for-12 with four runs scored since his demotion to Triple-A.
Stubbs might have the backup catching duties for now, but Marchán could take over those duties as early as next season.
PHOTO: Crossing Broad
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