Phillies Surprisingly Part Ways With 8-Year MLB Veteran

The Philadelphia Phillies have notified catcher Garrett Stubbs that he will be designated for assignment, bringing an end to his five-year stay with the organization, via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The club will have five days after the move is made official to trade Stubbs or place him on waivers.

The decision clears a spot on the 40-man roster and signals that Philadelphia is ready to reshape its catching situation heading into the offseason.

Stubbs arrived from the Houston Astros in a minor trade during the 2021-22 winter.

For the next three seasons, he served as the primary backup to J.T. Realmuto, offering left-handed bats and solid defensive work behind the plate.

Over the past two years, however, he slipped to third on the depth chart as Rafael Marchán assumed the regular reserve role.

Out of minor-league options, Stubbs was run through waivers at the end of spring training after the Phillies failed to find a trade partner.

He returned to the majors in mid-April when Realmuto landed on the injured list and stayed on the active roster for most of the remaining season, primarily as the last player off the bench once Realmuto returned.

A left-wrist inflammation cost him about ten days in July, but he otherwise remained available.

Limited to 35 games, Stubbs started 17 times behind the plate and once in left field. In 65 plate appearances he hit .153 with no home runs.

Across his entire tenure in Philadelphia he compiled a .212/.292/.300 slash line in 181 contests. The most probable outcome is that he clears waivers and elects minor-league free agency.

The broader catching picture in Philadelphia remains unsettled. Marchán is also out of options and has yet to demonstrate consistent major-league hitting.

Realmuto, still under contract for two more seasons at $15 million annually, led all catchers with 122 starts and trailed only William Contreras in innings caught.

At age 35, he endured a career-worst offensive season, and the combined production of Realmuto, Marchán, and Stubbs finished at .183/.254/.285, the lowest mark for any catching group in the majors.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has stated that reducing Realmuto’s workload is a priority. That goal will be easier to pursue if the Phillies can secure a more reliable backup.

Free-agent options such as Carson Kelly, Tyler Stephenson, James McCann, or Gary Sánchez could fill that role, while trade candidates including Freddy Fermin, Luis Campusano, Jimmy Crooks, or Danny Jansen offer alternative paths.

With Stubbs headed toward the exit, Philadelphia’s focus now turns to finding someone who can share the catching load more effectively.