Marchan wins backup catcher job

In one of the few spring training position battles this season, Garrett Stubbs, who had served as the backup to J.T. Realmuto, lost his spot. Before today’s spring training game, the Phillies optioned Stubbs to AAA Lehigh Valley, clearing the way for Rafael Marchan to stick with the Phillies as Realmuto’s backup.

The two players posted similar stats this spring but Marchan had an advantage coming into camp in that he was out of options and would have needed to clear waivers to be sent to Lehigh Valley. Stubbs had one option remaining meaning he could be sent to Lehigh Valley and not have to be exposed to waivers.

Stubbs has been a favorite of his teammates and of Phillies fans during his tenure with the team. He will remain on the 40-man roster while with Lehigh Valley and be the first catcher to be recalled in the event of an injury. Realmuto, who just turned 34 this past week, was limited to just 99 games, the lowest since his rookie season, not including the COVID shortened 2020 season. In addition to that, Marchan has only played more than 70 games more than once in a season due to injuries to his back, hamstring, hand, and shoulder. Because of Realmuto’s increasing age and Marchan’s injury history, it is likely that Stubbs will see time in the majors this season even after starting at Lehigh Valley.

For his part, Stubbs took the demotion to Lehigh Valley in stride and vowed to keep working as hard as ever. “It’s not the first time I’ve been sent down. It’s the first time in the last three, four years, so getting that tap on the shoulder again is not a good feeling,” Stubbs told reporters after the news broke. “Obviously, I knew it was a possibility coming into Spring Training, just knowing the circumstances with options and the business side of baseball, which can get crappy at times. But it wasn’t going to stop me from playing my best.”