Phillies Make Controversial Roster Decision Before Playoffs

The Philadelphia Phillies will carry three catchers into the National League Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves, a roster call driven as much by injuries as by preference.

The best-of-three series opens Tuesday at Truist Park. Philadelphia finished the regular season 88-74 and claimed the National League’s final Wild Card berth.

Atlanta won the NL East at 94-68 and holds home-field advantage.

Most postseason clubs keep two catchers. One starts. The other sits unless an injury or a pitcher preference forces a change. The Phillies are keeping J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported, “Phillies will go with three catchers still.” He added, “They had several injuries in minors that depleted depth.”

Realmuto remains the starter. He batted .205 with 11 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .614 OPS in 414 at-bats. Baseball-Reference lists his 2026 OPS+ at 65, his weakest offensive season since his rookie year. He ended an 0-for-34 slump with an RBI double in Sunday’s 7-3 win over Tampa Bay that clinched the playoff berth.

Stubbs appeared in 35 games and hit .153 with a .368 OPS. He did not homer. He has caught Aaron Nola at times and can play first base, third base and the outfield in a pinch.

Marchán hit .099 with a .302 OPS in 91 at-bats. Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic wrote, “Marchán is a puzzling addition. He is not fast on the bases, and has had a poor season in limited at-bats (many of which came early in the season while Realmuto was on the injured list). But the Phillies have few other options, so Marchán will likely stay on the active roster.”

The extra catcher occupies a bench spot that might otherwise go to a pinch-hitter or a faster runner. Neither Stubbs nor Marchán offered much at the plate this season, and Marchán adds little on the bases.

A larger hole opened last week. Second baseman Luis Arraez sprained his left ankle Thursday against Milwaukee while trying to avoid a tag at first base. He missed the final three regular season games. He finished the year at .310 with a .764 OPS in 596 at-bats and placed second in the National League batting race.

Interim manager Don Mattingly said Arraez will not be on the Wild Card roster.

“We still get improvement every day, but not enough,” Mattingly said. “He was going to try to hit today and just wasn’t able to do it. So, we kind of crossed that bridge today.”

Utility player Otto Kemp takes Arraez’s place. Kemp hit .080 in 25 major league at-bats this season. At Triple-A Lehigh Valley he batted .227 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and a .736 OPS in 108 games.

The Phillies also lost depth when Kameron Misner and Steward Berroa dealt with injuries. Those absences left the club with fewer bats and gloves to choose from for the 26-man postseason roster.

Philadelphia has used three catchers for much of 2026. The arrangement gives Mattingly insurance if Realmuto is hurt and some flexibility with Nola. In a short series, the same arrangement also shrinks the pool of extra hitters available late in games.

The winner of the series advances to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.