Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto to undergo knee surgery

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Phillie J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to pain in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday.

In his absence, the Phils will pull up Rafel Marchán from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Realmuto’s spot on the team’s 26-man roster. Marchán will serve as a backup to Garrett Stubbs, according to CBS Sports.

The 33-year-old catcher is set to receive meniscectomy surgery on his right knee Wednesday in Philadelphia.

CBS Sports reported Tuesday that Matt Gelb of The Athletic said Realmuto had been playing through the pain for nearly a month. Realmuto and the Phillies ultimately decided now would be the time to address the injury as the team returned Monday night from the MLB World Tour: London Series.

“Realmuto, 33, has slashed .261/.309/.411 with a .720 OPS over his 51 games for the Phillies this season. Entering play today, his seven home runs are tied for the most among all National League catchers and he ranks third in runs scored (28) and fourth in extra-base hits (16).”

“Defensively, Realmuto’s 2.84 catcher’s ERA is first among all NL backstops. Earlier this season, Realmuto posted a career-high 17-game hitting streak, which was the longest for a Phillie who primarily played catcher since at least 1900,” Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski wrote in an announcement Tuesday.