Phillies iron man catcher J.T. Realmuto gets rare rest day: ‘It’s all about his health’

SAN FRANCISCO — With the Phillies facing a lefty starter and an off day upcoming, J.T. Realmuto would typically be in the lineup, even for a day game after a night game.

Instead, Realmuto was on the bench Wednesday.

“It’s all about his health and making sure he gets enough rest,” manager Rob Thomson said before the Phillies wrapped up a six-game western swing in San Francisco. “It’s all about J.T.”

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To be clear, Realmuto isn’t injured. He’s actually riding a 17-game hitting streak, the longest ever by a Phillies catcher, during which he’s 26-for-74 (.351) with five doubles, one triple, and two homers.

But Realmuto also missed three games recently with a sore right knee, so the Phillies will be careful not to push their iron man catcher, considering they held a five-game lead over the Braves in the National League East entering play Wednesday.

It’s a different position than the Phillies are accustomed to. In each of the last two seasons, they got off to a slow start, finally heard the alarm clock in June, scrambled to pull themselves together, and made the playoffs via the wild card.

If they’re able to maintain the division lead through the summer, they don’t have to go full-throttle, which would mean being able to slightly curb the workloads of certain players, especially Realmuto, who has started 130 games in each of the last two years.

Thomson noted that keeping Realmuto on the bench Wednesday meant he would really receive two days off because the Phillies are idle Thursday. Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs got a rare start against a left-handed pitcher.

Realmuto’s hitting streak reached 17 games with a double in Tuesday night’s 10-inning, 1-0 loss to the Giants. It’s his career-long streak, and it eclipsed 16-game rolls by former Phillies catchers Stan Lopata in 1956 and Jimmie Wilson in 1934.

“It’s cool,” Realmuto said Tuesday night. “It would be a lot better if we were winning games. One hit a day doesn’t feel that great. I know I’m extending the streak, but kind of whatever.”

The Phillies held a ceremony at their academy in the Dominican Republic to dedicate three fields in honor of former players Juan Samuel, Bobby Abreu, and Carlos Ruiz, and its bullpen mounds to longtime minor-league instructor Roly deArmas.

“It’s important for us to not only celebrate the on-field contributions of our Latin American players and staff, but also recognize their legacy in Phillies history,” owner John Middleton said in a statement. “All four individuals being honored at these fields have made a significant impact on our organization and have represented the club in exemplary fashion.”

The academy, located in Boca Chica, opened in January 2017 and houses two Phillies teams in the Dominican Summer League, which opens its season Monday.

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Trea Turner (hamstring) played catch, took one-knee grounders, and hit in the batting cage. It remains unclear when he will resume a running program after feeling a recurrence of soreness over the weekend in Colorado. … Nick Castellanos’ two-out double in the third inning Wednesday marked his 600th career extra-base hit. … Fill-in shortstop Edmundo Sosa batted second for the third time in his career. Entering the game, Sosa was 20-for-59 with four doubles, four triples, two homers, and a 1.062 OPS in 19 starts since Turner went on the injured list. … Condolences to Phillies radio play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke, whose father, Bob, died Wednesday in Texas at age 91. … Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.04 ERA) will start Friday night at home against Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.64).