The Phillies have done the hard part already. After stumbling out of the gate at 9-19, they’ve put themselves in position to reach October, and now the task shifts from getting there to actually doing damage once they arrive.
For a club trying to put three straight playoff disappointments behind it, the margins matter. That’s why one roster spot could loom larger than it looks on paper: the backup catcher job.
J.T. Realmuto should be the guy behind the plate for every meaningful inning in October.
Barring injury or a blowout, the backup catcher is almost never going to see the field. Realmuto is not the same player who once carried the “best catcher in baseball” label, but he’s still clearly ahead of Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán in every area that matters most.
Even so, the Phillies still need two catchers on the postseason roster. If Realmuto is unavailable for any stretch, the situation gets ugly fast. Stubbs and Marchán are both limited offensively and bring little with the bat, which makes the decision less about impact and more about which player can help in other ways when the bench gets tight.
That was the lesson from last year’s National League Division Series against the Dodgers. Before Orion Kerkering’s season-ending blunder, another moment already had the Phillies in a bind.
In Game 2, with the Phillies trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, Nick Castellanos was on second base with no outs when Bryson Stott dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Castellanos took a poor secondary lead and was thrown out at third on a wheel play, and the rally was essentially over before the Phillies could cash in another chance.
Fans were left wondering why Castellanos was still on the bases as the tying run. The answer was ugly: there was nobody obvious to replace him. The bench that night included Stott, who was being used as a pinch hitter, Harrison Bader, who was limited to pinch-hitting because of a leg injury, Weston Wilson, who was being held back as Bader’s fielding replacement, Max Kepler, who had pinch hit for Otto Kemp the previous inning, and Marchán.
That left Marchán as the only unused option who could have theoretically run for Castellanos, and he was even slower than the $100 million right fielder. The Phillies had backed themselves into a corner, and Marchán wasn’t able to bail them out.
Stubbs might have changed that equation. He can’t hit, just like Marchán, but he runs better, brings strong baseball instincts, and has even logged some time in the outfield. That at least gives Philadelphia a little more flexibility if it needs to shuffle the board in a tense playoff spot.
Would Stubbs have scored and tied Game 2? There’s no way to know.
He could have been thrown out at third too. But he would have offered a better chance, and in October, that’s often enough.
These games are decided on the edges, and the Phillies can’t afford to waste a roster spot on a player who can’t help in any way other than standing behind the plate.
If they end up in a similar spot this postseason, Stubbs is the better fit for pinch-running duty or a defensive swap. Between two backup catchers who shouldn’t be getting at-bats, the one who can contribute elsewhere is the easy call. Garrett Stubbs may not be much, but he’s better than nothing.
In Other News...
Phillies May Be Facing A Bigger Luis Arraez Decision Than Expected
The Phillies deadline move for Luis Arraez was framed as a way to stabilize the roster for the stretch run and beyond, with the infielder now under team control through the rest of the 2026 season. But the deal may also be setting up a much bigger conversation than the one that started at the deadline, because Arraezs fit in Philadelphia could extend well past the original rental window.
According to ESPNs Jeff Passan, Arraezs free-agent market after 2026 may not be nearly as robust as some expected, with his lack of power potentially keeping other clubs at arms length. That could leave the Phillies in a favorable position if they decide they want him back, and it is at least plausible they would look at him as a long-term answer at second base rather than just a short-term add. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A Tough Andrew Painter October Decision
Andrew Painters path back into the Phillies plans has been a lot smoother lately than it was in his first major league looks. The 23-year-old right-hander settled in after his midseason call-up and gave the club reason to believe he could help down the stretch, even if the first step of that adjustment came with real growing pains. Then his latest outing against the Astros reminded everyone that the learning curve can still show up at the worst possible time.
For now, the Phillies are expected to keep Painter in the rotation through the rest of the regular season, which gives him more chances to keep building trust before October arrives. The tougher call is what comes next, because the postseason picture features stronger starting options and Painter has little to no relief experience, creating a real possibility that his role shifts once the games get bigger and the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Trea Turners Phillies Slump Is Becoming Harder To Ignore
Trea Turners rough stretch has become one of the more uncomfortable storylines around the Phillies as the season moves along. The shortstops offensive profile has flattened in ways that are hard to miss, with his batting average on balls in play down to a career-low .283 and his contact quality slipping alongside it. When a player built on speed, impact contact and all-around steadiness starts losing ground in those areas, it puts pressure on the rest of the lineup to make up for the missing production.
The defensive side has only added to the concern. Turners Fielding Run Value has fallen to -8, and he has also led major league shortstops in errors, a troubling combination for a team that has counted on him to stabilize the middle infield. For the Phillies, the issue is not just that Turner is in a slump, but that the downturn is showing up in more than one phase of the game, making it harder to brush off as a temporary cold streak. [Read more 🡒]