The Phillies will have their full compliment of offensive players again.
J.T. Realmuto has played like a star to begin the season.
The Phillies’ offense is back to full strength.
Before first pitch against the Pirates Saturday, the team announced J.T. Realmuto was back in the majors after minor knee surgery. He has not taken an at bat since early June, but hit .261 through his first 51 games this season and will bat fifth Saturday night.
To make room for Realmuto on the 26-man roster, the team made the tough decision to send Rafael Marchán back to Triple-A after a fantastic 17 games. He hit .294 with three homers and six RBI. The Phils will stick with veteran Garrett Stubbs as Realmuto’s back up — likely wanting to have Marchán, just 25, play everyday.
Two other roster moves also shook up the pitching staff a bit, as Michael Mercado was sent to the minors and Yunior Marte was recalled to replace him. Marte has had two solid stints in the majors with a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings so far. Mercado struggled, allowing 12 runs in 11.2 innings