Three teams offer catching help to Phillies following injury

Three unnamed teams have offered catching help to the Phillies since the news broke earlier this week about J.T. Realmuto’s knee surgery, as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. 

While Philadelphia is expected to look for some kind of short-term depth in Realmuto’s absence, Dombrowski didn’t sound too enamored by the options available thus far, noting that the three clubs approached the Phillies about the available catchers. 

“That’s usually probably not a good sign, that they’re trying to get rid of them," Dombrowski said. "Rather than the opposite way where you’re pursuing them.”  

Since Realmuto is slated to miss roughly a month, Dombrowski seems content to “take a look at our young guys” like backup catcher Rafael Marchan in the interim, so the Phils don’t necessarily feel much pressure to make a trade.

Philadelphia’s outstanding 47-22 record also provides a bit more breathing room, as the Phillies have the National League’s best record and look like a lock to return to the playoffs. Dombrowski naturally expected his team to be good, but admitted that a .681 win percentage even exceeded his expectations, especially considering that the Phils have been without Trea Turner for the majority of the season. 

Turner’s impending return is an upgrade on its own, and in terms of other possible trade deadline additions, Dombrowski said it’s “way, way, way, way, way too early” to start accessing how the market might take shape. Dombrowski cited bullpen depth as one possible area to explore, and doesn’t seem to think the Phillies will pursue a “we’re going to trade three top prospects” type of blockbuster trade. 

The PBO is also cognizant of how adding and subtracting from the roster might impact team chemistry, as Dombrowski obviously doesn’t want to disrupt what has been a winning formula for the Phillies to date.

More from around the NL East…

• The Nationals placed Joey Gallo on the 10-day IL earlier this week, and manager Davey Martinez provided reporters, including Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post, Friday with some unfortunate context, as Gallo’s left hamstring strain is “significant.” No more specifics were given about the severity of the strain or how long exactly the Nats expect Gallo to be sidelined, yet it would seem unlikely that he would be back in action before the All-Star break. Gallo already missed three weeks earlier this season recovering from an AC joint sprain his left shoulder, and this latest injury compounds what has been a miserable 2024 campaign for the veteran. After signing a one-year, $5M free agent deal with Washington this past winter, Gallo has hit only .164/.285/.321 over 165 plate appearances, striking out 71 times.
• A.J. Minter is likely to throw a bullpen session soon, Braves manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com and other media, as the left-hander continues to recover from inflammation in his left hip. It would appear that Minter is just about on track with the one-month timeline initially projected for his recovery, as he has started throwing side sessions to warm up his arm.  A longtime staple of the Atlanta bullpen, Minter had a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings this season before hitting the IL.