The Philadelphia Phillies will be able to add one more position player to their active roster on September 1. That player will be catcher Rafael Marchan, reports Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Marchan is currently on the 10-day injured list. He’s been out since July 22 with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. The 27-year-old just completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’ll be activated from the injured list when rosters expand, with no corresponding roster move necessary.
Marchan will join Realmuto and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who has essentially become Aaron Nola’s personal catcher.
The 27-year-old catcher won the backup job over Stubbs in Spring Training. The fifth-year backup is slashing .102/.141/.170 on the season with two home runs. While not much of a hitter, he brings a stable defensive presence behind the plate.
What the Rafael Marchan Move Means for the Phillies
This isn’t the first time this season the Phillies utilized three catchers. They’ve operated under this alignment for much of the season.
Getting Rafael Marchan back should help to keep starting catcher J.T. Realmuto as fresh for the postseason as possible. The 35-year-old has already caught 878 innings this season. He’s on track for another 1,000-inning season behind the plate for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Realmuto said he’s fine and raring to go entering the season’s final stretch.
“I think we’ve done a good job of mixing in my off days at the right time,” Realmuto said on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame coverage. “It’s that time of year where it’s time to start chasing the division. It’s going to be hard catching the (Atlanta) Braves without me in the lineup. So we do what we can to play as much as we can the rest of the season.”
The Phillies will have to balance keeping Realmuto’s bat in the lineup as much as possible without wearing him down before October. Having three catchers should help alleviate the workload for the veteran catcher.
Other than Aaron Nola starts, which belong to Garrett Stubbs, the Phillies could have more opportunities to rest Realmuto. Having three catchers also gives Don Mattingly more leeway to hit for either Marchan or Stubbs in big situations.