Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto experienced a frightening moment during the ninth inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays when a foul ball off Jordan Romano’s pitch struck him in the groin area. Visibly in pain, Realmuto had difficulty walking and was removed from the game.
The following day, Realmuto addressed the situation, reassuring fans through a post shared by Matt Gelb of The Athletic on Twitter/X. His update was brief but optimistic: he’s “still intact” after the incident.
The injury that forced J.T. Realmuto to leave the game will also keep him out of the Phillies’ series finale against the Blue Jays. In his place, backup catcher Rafael Marchan will step in and handle catching duties for starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo.
The good news is that Realmuto will be available in case of an emergency on Thursday, June 5. His readiness to play if needed—most likely if Marchan sustains an injury—is a positive sign that Realmuto’s condition is not serious and that he’s on track for a full recovery.
Realmuto is unlikely to play in the series finale against the Blue Jays and is instead expected to be ready for the Phillies’ upcoming road trip to face the Pittsburgh Pirates.
At the plate, Realmuto has struggled this season. He’s batting .226—down .040 points from his 2024 average—and has had difficulty avoiding double plays, grounding into 10 so far in 2025. That total puts him just three shy of his career high, despite it still being relatively early in the season.
While his offensive production has dipped, Realmuto remains elite defensively. According to Baseball Savant, he owns the best pop time in Major League Baseball, continuing to excel at controlling the running game.
Fortunately, despite the painful nature of his recent groin injury, Realmuto is expected to miss only one game. All things considered, that’s a relatively positive outcome. In his absence, Rafael Marchan will get the start behind the plate as the Phillies aim to close out the series with a win in Toronto.
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