Things were already bad for the Philadelphia Phillies, but now, they just got worse.
The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their eighth straight game on Wednesday night and are now tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League at 8-16. They aren't hitting, their pitching has been atrocious and there do not appear to be any simple solutions in sight.
To make matters worse, the Phillies will now be without one of their top players.
Philadelphia has placed catcher J.T. Realmuto on the injured list due to a lower back injury, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
The injury had been bothering Realmuto earlier in the week, but he tried to play against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. That seemed to make things worse.
It's a significant blow for a Phillies team that has been unable to generate a consistent source of offense over the course month of the season, and while Realmuto wasn't exactly mashing with a .259/.344/.352 slash line, at least he was getting on base.
Philadelphia re-signed Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million contract during the offseason, this even though the veteran had shown clear signs of decline the preceding couple of years.
Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images.Last season, Realmuto slashed .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI across 550 plate appearances, with his .700 OPS marking his worst since 2015.
The Phillies initially acquired the 35-year-old in a trade with the Miami Marlins back in February 2019. He proceeded to earn a pair of All-Star selections in Philadelphia and owns a .265/.328/.448 slash line since arriving in Philly.
Realmuto was once one of the best defensive backstops in all of baseball, but his fielding prowess has certainly faded with age.
It has been the story of the Phillies as a whole this season, as they decided to essentially run it back with an aging squad. The results have not been pretty, as their minus-50 run differential is the worst in the majors.
There is still plenty of time for Philadelphia to turn things around, but there is no question that the concerns are becoming more and more serious.
Perhaps the fans were right all along for expressing so much trepidation throughout the Phillies' quiet offseason.
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