The Philadelphia Phillies activated catcher J.T. Realmuto from the injured list on July 20. Realmuto had been out since June 11 after having knee surgery. The knee injury first surfaced during a series against the San Francisco Giants in May. In 51 games this season, Realmuto has a .261/.309/.411 line with seven home runs and 20 RBI. Realmuto has a 102 OPS+ and a 102 wRC+ this season. In the corresponding move Rafael Marchán was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Marchán has a .294/.345/.This season, 549 line with three home runs and six RBI in 17 games. Additionally, Marchán has a 148 OPS+ and a 149 wRC+ this season.
Phillies Activate Catcher From Injured List
Another move was also announced by the Phillies on July 20. The team optioned Michael Mercado to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled Yunior Marte from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Mercado has a 1-2 record in four games this season with a 9.26 ERA and eight strikeouts. Mercado has a 45 ERA+ this season. In 15 games this season, Marte has a 0-0 record with a 3.31 ERA and 15 strikeouts. Marte has a 125 ERA+ this season. This is not a surprising move, given how much Mercado has struggled. Tyler Phillips beating out Mercado to be in the starting rotation for the time being also factors into this decision.
Phillies Activate Catcher From Injured List
The return of Realmuto will be a welcome sign for this Phillies team. While Realmuto was out on the injured list, the Phillies had a 17-15 record. During that stretch, they also had to deal with injuries to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. This will be the first time since early May that the Phillies have had all nine regular starting position players healthy at the same time. While Marchán played well while Realmuto was out, optioning him was the right move. Having Marchán play regularly at Triple-A will be helpful to his development, given how much time he has been injured over the years.
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