JT Realmuto knows his role Is changing, and thankfully he’s up for whatever it takes to win

When Rob Thomson finally sat down with JT Realmuto, he knew it wasn’t going to be the easiest conversation.

How do you tell one of baseball’s toughest, most competitive catchers that he’s going to play less? That his workload is going to be managed, that his job description might be expanding beyond just catching? That in a contract year—when every at-bat, every inning behind the plate matters—he might not be squatting behind the dish as much as he’s used to?

You don’t sugarcoat it. You just hope the guy across from you is willing to listen.

And to his credit, JT Realmuto is listening.

“At the end of the day, it’s just going to come down to Rob and I communicating,” Realmuto said. “I have to be honest with him about how I’m feeling to try to keep me as healthy as possible for the long haul.”

JT Realmuto needs some time off behind home plate

Since arriving in Philly, Realmuto has been an ironman behind the plate. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he caught at least 130 games in three of his first four years with the Phillies. Even after knee surgery last summer—which cost him six weeks—he still started 99 games at catcher.

That surgery wasn’t even a catching injury. Realmuto hurt his knee rounding second base on a triple against the Giants last May. But regardless of how it happened, the Phillies can’t afford to run their 33-year-old catcher into the ground.

Decreasing JT Realmuto’s Workload: The Obvious No-Brainer for the Phillies

The goal in 2025? Reduce the wear and tear. Keep him fresh for the postseason without hurting his value heading into free agency.

But how do you do that without making him feel like a part-time player?

Enter: The JT Realmuto Experiment

The Phillies already planned to use Realmuto at DH on some of his off days. That means Kyle Schwarber shifts back to left field, at least occasionally, to keep all the bats in the lineup.

Realmuto has also played first base in the past (263 career innings), so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him there when Bryce Harper needs a day off.

But left field? That was a new one.

“I’ve talked to him about maybe taking some flyballs in the outfield because he’s really athletic,” Thomson said. “See how he is with that. We’re gonna try some different things. We don’t want to wear him out, but we want to see if he’s comfortable with it.”

Realmuto didn’t shoot it down outright.

“I think it was just an idea, but at the end of the day, I’ll do whatever it takes for this team to win,” he said. “If he wants me to go out there and stand on my head, I’ll try to do that.”

Balancing Team Success and a Contract Year

Realmuto isn’t just playing for another shot at a World Series ring in 2025. He’s also playing for his next contract. And fewer games behind the plate could impact his value in free agency. The Phillies know this. They want to be mindful of his workload, but they also don’t want to hurt his earning power.

If the Phillies win, JT Realmuto wins.

“I want to win,” he said. “At the end of the day, if the Phillies win and we have a good season, the contract stuff is going to take care of itself.”

The Phillies don’t want to burn him out during the regular season. But when October rolls around? You better believe he’s catching every single inning.

The JT Realmuto Balancing Act: Phillies in search of a suitable backup catcher to give the B.C.I.B. some much needed time off

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