During the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Miami Marlins, catcher J.T. Realmuto, in the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead, was hit in the hand with a foul ball. It contacted his hand directly, with immediate fears of an injury.
While he stayed in the game to close out the half-inning behind the plate, he was then pulled, pinch-hit for by Rafael Marchan, who lined a single to center field. Realmuto, meanwhile, went back into the clubhouse for imaging.
Fortunately, as Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports, the imaging on Realmuto's hand came back negative. While there's expected to be more work done on his hand, the Phillies can breathe a sigh of relief after the injury scare late in the game.
J.T. Realmuto's X-rays come back negative
The Phillies previously lost Trea Turner, one of the best players on the team this season, to a hamstring injury against the Marlins earlier in the month. While Turner is out for the time being, he's expected to return at some point in the next five games.
Realmuto’s X-Rays came back negative. They’ll check him out again tomorrow. There is a chance the Phillies could DH or back off him a bit in these final games, Rob Thomson said, but they are focused on getting the bye right now.
— Charlotte Varnes (@charlottevarnes) September 24, 2025
However, if this Realmuto injury was more severe, it would have knocked Realmuto out for some time due to a broken hand or some other longer injury, then the Phillies would've been heading into October without their starting catcher.
Being down Zack Wheeler and Jose Alvarado is already a tough reality, but losing Realmuto, along with the uncertainty of Turner and Edmundo Sosa, could make things a lot more dire come the postseason.
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Fortunately, as Varnes reports, the imaging came back negative, a huge positive for the team and Realmuto. He could suit up against this season or get some at-bats as a designated hitter to allow him to stay loose without risking him behind the plate.
But, regardless of how Rob Thomson utilizes Realmuto down the stretch, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that his hand injury isn't worse than it initially seemed.
The Phillies have clinched the NL East, and after the Los Angeles Dodgers choked from Tuesday night, their magic number to clinch a bye is down to one. One more Dodgers loss or Phillies win would secure a bye, which is a massive advantage considering the injuries the team is dealing with in the final week of the season.
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