Pressure is ratcheting up on the Philadelphia Phillies in the month of June.
Thanks to a current five-game winning streak, the Phillies have pulled to within two games of the New York Mets for first place in what is sure to be a riveting National League East race. But as recent roster moves have shown, the players are under a microscope.
Last week, the Phillies designated relief pitcher Carlos Hernandez for assignment, which wasn’t a shock given the righty’s 5.26 ERA. But it showed that this Phillies team is willing to cut bait with players who aren’t performing up to their capability, no matter how impactful their roles are.
One baseball writer believes the team’s backup catcher could be next to go.
On Sunday, Edward Eng of FanSided predicted that 26-year-old backstop Rafael Marchán wouldn’t “last the month,” which would require the Phillies to designate him for assignment in favor of Triple-A backup Garrett Stubbs.
“As much as the Phillies should give some leeway to a developing young catcher in the majors in Marchán, the competition has been so intense in the National League playoff race thus far that Philadelphia probably can’t afford waiting any longer,” Eng wrote.
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
“So instead of piling the workload onto an aging J.T. Realmuto due to the lack of an offensive threat from their backup catcher, it may be time to move on from Marchán and give Stubbs a chance once again.”
Marchán is slashing .174/.296/.283 on the season, and he’s only received 54 plate appearances. He does have two defensive runs saved behind the plate, but good catching only goes so far when the bat is producing nothing.
It all depends on how the Phillies want to play it. If they think more offense from the backup catching spot will carry them farther than steady defense, they have every right to either promote Stubbs or look for improvements from outside the organization.
More MLB: Yankees 7-time All-Star predicted to lose playing time after Giancarlo Stanton return
