JT Realmuto to undergo right knee surgery Wednesday – NBC Sports Philadelphia

JT Realmuto, one of the Phillies' most indispensable players, will undergo meniscus removal in his right knee on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

He was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 10), but will obviously be out much longer. The Phillies cited “knee soreness” as the reason. Realmuto has been dealing with knee pain for about a month, but is still playing.

Mike Trout underwent a partial medial meniscectomy on May 10, and the timeline for MLB players to return after this procedure is typically 4 to 8 weeks. Players return faster after this procedure than after a full meniscus repair, but it's unclear if Realmuto is facing the same injury or a similar timeline.

More information will be announced later Tuesday. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is scheduled to meet with reporters in Boston before a three-game series against the Red Sox.

The Phillies have depth at many positions, but not behind the plate. They brought Rafael Marchan up from Triple A and he will play the position with Garrett Stubbs on the team. There is little depth behind him and the Phillies may need to add another catcher.

They are 25 games over .500 and have a nine-game lead over the struggling Braves, so they have room to play. But losing Realmuto for any length of time is a huge blow. His performance on offense, defense, on the bases, game planning and game commentary makes him as valuable as any catcher in baseball. He is also one of the team's unquestioned, unspoken leaders.

Although he has caught hundreds more innings than anyone in the major leagues since being signed by the Phillies, he has only spent 10 days on the injured list since 2019.

Two weeks ago, Nick Castellanos called Realmuto the backbone of the Phillies.

You will be without it for now.