The Phillies had to designate catcher Garrett Stubbs for assignment last Thursday after being unable to engineer a trade to send him to another team. Rafael Marchan was named the backup catcher to J.T. Realmuto leaving Stubbs without a roster spot but because he was out of options the Phillies had to either trade him or put him through waivers in order to send him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Stubbs cleared waivers and accepted the assignment to Lehigh Valley and he will join them this week when they play a six-game series in Durham, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
During the 2025 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Garrett Stubbs appeared in 71 games and recorded 264 at-bats, producing a .265 batting average. He delivered 12 doubles and 8 home runs while driving in 50 runs and scoring 45. Stubbs also drew 31 walks against 62 strikeouts, contributing to a .352 on-base percentage and a .402 slugging percentage for a .753 OPS.
The Phillies had worked with Stubbs this spring on playing field and third base. He has played 14 games in left field in the majors and one in right field. He has not played third base in the majors, but did play some third base in college. That work is going to continue during his time with Lehigh Valley, according to Phillies officials.
Philadelphia acquired Stubbs, 32, from the Houston Astros following the 2021 season for minor leaguer Logan Cerny, who has not played higher than Double-A for Houston. In his MLB career, Stubbs has slashed: .215/.293/.310 in 521 big-league plate appearances. His biggest season in Philadelphia came in the 2022 season when he set what are career-highs in nearly every offensive category with the Phillies hitting: 5-16-.264/.350/.462/.812 in 46 games. Stubbs rejoined the Phillies last September but was used sparingly.
The IronPigs currently have three active catchers on their roster in Rene Pinto, Paul McIntosh, and Caleb Ricketts. The Phillies will need to make a roster move to clear a spot on their roster for Stubbs.
Please scroll down to comment on this story or to give it a rating. We appreciate your feedback!
Disclaimer: Some of the products featured or linked on this website may generate income for Philly Baseball News through affiliate commissions, sponsorships, or direct sales. We only promote items we believe in, but please assume that PBN may earn a cut from qualifying purchases that you make using a link on this site.
© 2026 LV Sports Media. All rights reserved.
