Realmuto hits injured list amid tough times for Phillies
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The Phillies placed catcher J.T. Realmuto on the 10-day injured list with back spasms, the club announced on Wednesday.
It’s another piece of bad news for a team that has lost seven consecutive games and has an 8-15 record. The Phils entered Wednesday’s game against the Cubs 7 1/2 games out in the NL East.
Realmuto tweaked his back in the second inning of Friday’s game against the Braves and then exited Saturday’s game in the seventh inning because of lower back tightness. Realmuto didn’t play on Sunday or Monday, but he was in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs and went 0-for-4.
The 13-year veteran catcher is batting .259 with one home run and a .696 OPS through 61 plate appearances this season. Garrett Stubbs was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will split time at catcher with Rafael Marchán during Realmuto’s absence. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Max Lazar was transferred to the 60-day injured list.