A more relaxed Garrett Stubbs is ready to play more, but he ‘can’t wait’ for J.T. Realmuto to return

BOSTON — Garrett Stubbs has embraced the role of backup catcher since he was traded to the Phillies in November 2021. When J.T. Realmuto is healthy, Stubbs is lucky if he can get one start a week. He had 121 plate appearances in 2022, and 125 in 2023.

It is not an easy job, but things can change quickly, and on Tuesday, Stubbs, 31, found himself in an entirely new situation. Realmuto was placed on the injured list with right knee pain and was scheduled to undergo surgery in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Phillies expect him to miss a month.

The plan, for now, is to have Stubbs and recently recalled catcher Rafael Marchán take turns filling in for Realmuto. Some would view it as an opportunity for Stubbs to get more playing time, but he said he is not looking at it that way.

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“I felt terrible for him,” Stubbs said. “Obviously, it’s a huge blow to our team. He’s a huge part of what we do out there on the field, but also a huge part of what we do in the clubhouse. He is one of the leaders on this team. So, it [stinks]. But hopefully he gets through the surgery and he’s even better, and we don’t have to think about it anymore.

“There’s not really too many good feelings. I’m excited to help the team and be out there more. I think anybody would be. But having it happen like this is not ever something that you want.

“So, I’m just going to plan on being the same guy that I’ve been, by trying to help the team win in any way possible. I’ll get to do that a little bit more now. But I can’t wait for J.T. to get back, for a multitude of reasons.”

The Phillies will miss Realmuto’s offense, but there is reason to believe that Stubbs has been warming up at the plate. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters on Tuesday that Stubbs has been “playing pretty well for us recently,” and Stubbs himself has felt better about his at-bats.

The Phillies don’t need him to be Realmuto, but they do need him to be serviceable, and over the last six games, he’s been that. Stubbs has hit .286/.375/.333 over that span. The tough part about evaluating him, offensively, is that it is always going to be a small sample size.

Those limited opportunities mean that every at-bat carries extra weight.

“It’s tough to have to feel that way [about limited at-bats],” he said. “Because over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten 120. So one at-bat [for me] is a lot more than the next person, mathematically. But at the end of the day, I want to have good offensive numbers because it means I’m helping the team. I couldn’t give two [expletive] about what those numbers say. I care about the ‘W’ column. That’s what my job is: to win baseball games. So, as long as we’re doing that … yeah, the numbers, I want to be good, but just because that means I’m helping the team more.”

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With that in mind, Stubbs has tried to relax in the box. Before the Phillies left to start a series at Colorado on May 24, he had opened the season with a stretch of 14 games in which he had only four hits and 12 strikeouts. He felt like he was in his own head, so he approached hitting coach Kevin Long about it in the batting cage.

“I mean, to put it bluntly, I told him, ‘Hey, I’m being a [expletive] right now. So, I need to stop being a [expletive],’” Stubbs said.

Long, who walked past Stubbs in the clubhouse at the time of this interview, confirmed this account.

“You were being a [expletive],” he told Stubbs.

“That’s exactly what was happening,” Stubbs said. “I was being a little [expletive]. And now I’m just not being a [expletive].”

The pep talk worked. Stubbs had one of his best games as a Phillie in Colorado on May 25, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and some savvy defensive plays behind the plate. He had another two-hit night on May 29 in San Francisco.

The Phillies won’t get that production from Stubbs every game. But he has noticed a difference in his demeanor.

“I just relaxed, honestly,” Stubbs said. “It’s definitely not that easy. It’s really hard to relax when your opportunities and your at-bats are scarce. Hitting is probably the hardest thing to do in any sport. And rhythm, and timing is the biggest component to hitting. So the scarce playing time makes it tougher.

“And so every at-bat feels like it’s very important. And if you don’t get ahead — ‘Oh my god, I have to wait three days until I get to try again.’ But I just went to Kevin, and I was like, ‘Dude, I’m so in my head right now.’ And he helped me. Yeah, he helped me lower my shoulders, basically.

“It’s all about helping the team win. If I reach on an error, and I try to get in scoring position or have good baserunning to score on a single from second, or from first or whatever — there’s so many different ways to help, even if your stat line at the end is 0-for-4. So, whatever I can do to put myself in that position, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

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Stubbs is going to carry Long’s words with him through the rest of the season. And if he needs a reminder when he’s in the box, he now has a mental cue.

“Don’t be a [expletive],” he said. “That’s probably the cue.”

Manager Rob Thomson said Trea Turner (left hamstring strain) ran the bases on Wednesday. Turner ran at about 85% intensity, and will need to increase that, and do some other drills (simulating stops and starts, running from first to third, and more). But it was a good sign … Edmundo Sosa took a weird slide late in Tuesday’s game and “felt it a little bit in his groin,” but is available for Wednesday’s game. Thomson said he is fine and expects Sosa to be back in the lineup on Thursday....Brandon Marsh (right hamstring strain) ran the bases on Wednesday in double-A Reading and will run them again on Thursday. They’ll figure out a plan for a potential rehab assignment soon … J.T. Realmuto’s knee surgery went well, Thomson said. He will be at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday to rehab. It’s possible he will meet the team in Baltimore.