The Philadelphia Phillies backup catcher Rafael Marchán has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left knee patellar tendinitis according to an announcement from the team. Payton Henry has been added to the 40-man roster and recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Brad Keller who is expected to be out for the season because of a UCL tear has been transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to make room for Henry on the 40-man roster. Garrett Stubbs was placed on the injured list on July 21 and Marchán left the game on July 22 due to this injury.
Prior to tonight’s game against the New York Yankees, the Phillies placed catcher Rafael Marchán on the 10-day injured list (retro to 7/23) with left knee patellar tendinitis. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, catcher Payton Henry had his contract selected from triple-A…
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 24, 2026
Henry has a .201/.285/.291 line with four home runs and 14 RBI in 55 minor league games between the Phillies organization and the New York Yankees organization this season. On July 2 the Yankees released Henry and he subsequently signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on July 4. Henry also has a 54 wRC+ and a .264 BABIP in the minor leagues this year. In 2021 and 2022, Henry appeared in the majors for the Marlins who were managed by now Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly at the time. In total Henry has 20 major league appearances and 16 starts, all at catcher.
Phillies Backup Catcher Placed On Injured List
Lack Of Offensive Production Making The Position A Weak Spot
While J.T. Realmuto was on the injured list earlier this season Marchán and Stubbs rotated handling the catching duties. This season Marchán has a .102/.141/.170 line with two home runs and six RBI in 32 games. Marchán has an abysmal -19 wRC+ along with a 0.97 BABIP and a 0.14 BB/K rate. Meanwhile Stubbs, who remained on the 26-man roster after Realmuto returned, has a .179/.250/.179 line with no home runs and two RBI in 20 major league games this season. Stubbs also has a 23 wRC+ as well as a .217 BABIP and a 0.17 BB/K rate. The Phillies backup catcher spot should be producing more at the plate than this.
The Alternative Option The Team Should Have Gone With
With Henry being added to the 40-man roster the Phillies now have four catchers on it. Henry is the lone catcher currently on the Phillies 40-man roster who has minor league option years available. Paul McIntosh is the other catcher who would have been in consideration for this call up. McIntosh has a .271/.339/.447 line with six home runs and 25 RBI in 50 minor league games this year. To add to that McIntosh has a 104 wRC+ and a .315 BABIP this season. McIntosh should have been the new Phillies backup catcher for the time being over Henry. The Phillies acquired McIntoh in the Jesús Luzardo trade in 2024,
What Happens Going Forward With The Position
One of Stubbs or Marchán should be designated for assignment once both are back from the injured list. The Phillies are not carrying three catchers right now as Bryan De La Cruz has been called up with Stubbs going on the injured list as the corresponding move. Once both are healthy Stubbs should be the backup catcher for the rest of the season. In the offseason the Phillies should look to find a more long term upgrade for the role. While not a pressing need the Phillies backup catcher spot has hurt the team on occasion. Henry now has a chance to show that he can be a more reliable backup catcher for the team.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
