Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (groin) is returning to the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates and left-hander Bailey Falter, doing the catching for right-hander Joe Ross and hitting fifth. Realmuto took a foul ball off his groin late in Wednesday's game and was held out of Thursday's game as a result. Now that the 34-year-old veteran backstop is back in the lineup, he'll try to break out of a current slump that has seen him record only four hits in his last eight games played. Realmuto's .254 expected batting average point to some positive regression coming for the three-time All-Star, but so far in 2025, he's been a disappointment for his fantasy managers. He enters Friday's game slashing .226/.297/.358 with five home runs, 22 RBI, 18 runs and four stolen bases. Realmuto is hitless in two career at-bats against Falter.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (groin) is absent from the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center. Rafael Marchan is behind the plate to catch left-hander Jesus Luzardo and will bat ninth against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Realmuto took a foul ball to his groin in the ninth inning in Wednesday's loss in Toronto and was removed from the game. The 34-year-old is hopeful that he'll miss just one start, so fantasy managers should be getting the veteran catcher back for Friday's series opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. He'll be available only in an emergency situation on Thursday. The three-time All-Star has shown his age so far in 2025 and is hitting just .226 (43-for-190) with five home runs, 22 RBI, 18 runs and four stolen bases, although he does have three hits in 10 at-bats in his first three games in the month of June.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (groin) took a foul ball off his groin in the ninth inning in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the hosting Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre and was removed from the game early. Realmuto was down on the ground for a few minutes before walking into the clubhouse under a trainer's assistance. Before departing prematurely, the veteran backstop went 1-for-3 at the plate with a single and a strikeout. It's likely that the 34-year-old will be held out of Thursday's series finale in Toronto, but Realmuto could return to action this weekend for a series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Any time missed by Realmuto would push Rafael Marchan into a starting role behind the plate. Realmuto came into Wednesday's contest hitting just .225 with five home runs, 22 RBI, 18 runs and four steals in his 187 at-bats, although his xBA of .252 points to positive regression going forward.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is being dropped to eighth in the batting order for Tuesday's divisional clash against the visiting Atlanta Braves and right-hander Spencer Strider. It's the first time that Realmuto has hit this low in a batting order since the 2022 season, but it's justified, as the 34-year-old veteran is showing signs of his age by hitting .232/.303/.381 with five home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored and four steals in his 168 at-bats in 2025. He's gone 5-for-29 (.172) with a homer, double, three RBI, three runs, no walks and nine strikeouts in his last six games. As Realmuto works to break out of his season-long funk, he's currently working to improve his timing at the plate. He'll be a poor DFS choice on Tuesday against Strider, too, who he's hit .133 against in 15 career at-bats.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will be rested in Thursday's series finale at Coors Field against the hosting Colorado Rockies. Rafael Marchan will do the catching for left-hander Ranger Suarez and will hit ninth against Rockies right-hander German Marquez. Realmuto is starting to heat up after a slow start to the 2025 season. The veteran backstop had three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, in Wednesday's victory in Denver, and he's hitting .246 (14-for-57) with three homers, four RBI, 11 RBI and eight runs scored in 15 games so far in May. Fantasy managers are hoping it will continue. The 26-year-old Marchan should be avoided in DFS lineups as a deep sleeper at the catching position. He has never faced Marquez in his career and has just four hits in 28 at-bats on the season with six walks and six strikeouts.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto and outfielder Brandon Marsh will both start on the bench for Friday's series opener versus the hosting Cleveland Guardians. Rafael Marchan is doing the catching and batting ninth, while Johan Rojas will start in center field and bat eighth against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Realmuto fouled a ball off his foot on Wednesday but returned to the lineup on Thursday, so there shouldn't be any concerns about his health. The 34-year-old has yet to really get going offensively and has gone 5-for-21 with a homer and four RBI in six games in May. Given his slow start to the year -- .170 (9-for-53) with a homer and seven RBI and a trip to the injured list -- Marsh isn't even guaranteed regular playing time against righties. Neither Marchan nor Rojas are very attractive DFS sleepers

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) is back behind the dish to catch left-hander Jesus Luzardo and is hitting seventh on Thursday against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Realmuto will surprisingly be back in the lineup a day after fouling a ball off his left foot and suffering a bruise in Wednesday's contest against Tampa. The 34-year-old veteran is looking for his first hit of the series against the Rays in the finale on Thursday. Realmuto hasn't done much for fantasy managers in general so far in 2025, slashing .235/.307/.374 with a below-average .681 OPS, three home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored and four stolen bases in 31 games played. So far in five games in May, Realmuto has gone 4-for-18 with a homer, double, four RBI and three runs scored. He has never faced Pepiot in his big-league career.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) was taken out early during Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Realmuto suffered a bruised left foot when he fouled a ball off it during the seventh inning of this contest. The Phillies pulled him out of the contest and the expectation is that Realmuto will undergo additional testing. For now, fantasy managers should consider Realmuto as day-to-day until more information is released. Before exiting, Realmuto went 0-for-3 at the plate with a walk and a run scored. Rafael Marchan took over behind the plate and figures to see more playing time if Realmuto misses time.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went 2-for-4 at the plate in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks, smacking a double and a three-run home run in the game. It was the second home run in the last three games for the veteran and third of the year. Despite a declinein power and stolen base production over the last coupleof years, the 3x All-Star can still be relevant for fantasy at a position starved for offense, with his modest .240-3-11-11-4 stat line puttinghim within the top 12 scoring options at the position. The 34-year-old's 79.9 percent contact rate is the highest mark since 2017, so he can still put the bat on the ball even though 20-home run seasons may be a thing of the past.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will start Thursday's contest against the division-rival Washington Nationals on the bench. Rafael Marchan will do the catching for right-hander Taijuan Walker and will hit ninth against Nationals right-hander Brad Lord. Realmuto will get a day to rest after going 6-for-20 with a homer, double and RBI in 21 plate appearances over the last week in five games. Although the three-time All-Star catcher does have four stolen bases already, he's been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy managers otherwise, slashing .237/.308/.361 with a .669 OPS, only two home runs, eight RBI and nine runs scored in the first month of the 2025 season. Marchan will be a DFS sleeper to avoid at the catching position in the nine hole against a pitcher he's never faced. He has two hits in his 16 at-bats as the backup catcher.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-2 romp over the Nationals. Realmuto tacked on the final run of the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning off Eduardo Salazar. The long ball was Realmuto's second home run of the season and his first since April 15. On the year, the 34-year-old catcher is hitting .237 with eight RBI and a .297 wOBA. Realmuto still has some juice left in his bat at a thin catcher position, but he isn't an elite option any more at this point in his career. He's servicable in mixed leagues but not a must-play if other options with higher ceilings are available.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will get the day off on Sunday when the Phillies conclude a series against the Miami Marlins. Realmuto has started in each of the previous eight games. During this stretch, he has held a .200/.273/.333 slash line with one double and one home run. Fantasy managers should expect the veteran backstop to return to the starting nine on Monday evening when the Phillies begin a series in Queens against the Mets. Through 18 games this season, the 34-year-old has held a .234/.315/.338 slash line with four runs and six RBI. Instead, Rafael Marchan will be behind the dish and catching for Jesus Luzardo. He will bat ninth and should not be targeted in any DFS competitions.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will head to the bench for Friday's series opener at Busch Stadium against the hosting St. Louis Cardinals after catching all 11 innings of Friday night's loss to the Atlanta Braves that was delayed by rain. With Realmuto on the bench, Rafael Marchan will catch right-hander Aaron Nola and will hit ninth against Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante. The 34-year-old Realmuto should be back in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. While it's not quite time to panic yet, Realmuto is still searching for his first home run of the year after 10 games played. He's gone 9-for-35 (.257) with a double, triple, three RBI, four steals, and two runs scored. Fantasy managers should be able to find better catching options in DFS than Marchan, who has gone 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run in the early going as a backup.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto and third baseman Alec Bohm are both getting a day of rest for Sunday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Rafael Marchan is behind the plate and is batting ninth, while Edmundo Sosa is starting at third and batting seventh against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow. Both Realmuto and Bohm will get two days off with the Phillies' next game not coming until Tuesday at the division-rival Atlanta Braves. Realmuto has picked things up offensively the last five games, going 5-for-16 with an RBI, two runs and a stolen base. The 28-year-old Bohm will be out for the first time this year after starting the season just 7-for-35 with a double, three RBI, one walk and five strikeouts in eight games. Neither Sosa nor Marchan have ever faced Glasnow in their careers.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was a tough out at the plate all game long on Thursday. The veteran backstop would finish his day 3-for-3 with three singles in the win over the Colorado Rockies. Realmuto would also add on two steals, which are a little more rare at this stage in his career. Regardless, fantasy managers will continue to take these kinds of performances out of the 34-year-old backstop. His days of being an elite fantasy option are probably behind him, but Realmuto is still worth rostering in most fantasy formats.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) is back in the lineup on Monday, batting fourth in their series opener against the Colorado Rockies. The veteran backstop fouled a ball off his foot, forcing him early from Saturday's win over the Washington Nationals. He'd miss Sunday's game due to the contusion but is all set to go for the team's home opener on Monday. Realmuto is 1-for-9 to start the season, with a triple, two RBI, and a 4:0 K:BB ratio. Fantasy managers should exhibit no concerns about slotting him back into their lineups.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) is expected to return to the starting lineup on Monday, according to manager Rob Thompson. Realmuto was forced to exit early during Saturday's game due to a left foot contusion. As a result, Realmuto missed Sunday's game, but it doesn't sound like he'll miss more time than that. Rafael Marchan started behind the plate on Sunday and went 1-for-4 at the plate in the loss. Fantasy managers should be able to get Realmuto back into their lineups on Monday.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (back) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) are not in Sunday's lineup when the Phillies conclude a series with the Washington Nationals. Turner was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to back spasms, and Realmuto was removed from Saturday's game after fouling a ball off his foot. His X-rays came back negative, but the team will exercise caution with both of their key players. As a result, Edmundo Sosa will get the nod at shortstop for the second-straight day and bat sixth. Rafael Marchan will play behind the plate and bat ninth. Fantasy managers should monitor their status leading up to their next contest on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. Both Sosa and Marchan are worth a look as budget plays in DFS facing Washington southpaw Mitchell Parker.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) was removed from Saturday's game in the seventh inning due to a left-foot contusion, but the move was considered precautionary. The veteran backstop fouled a ball off of his foot in the sixth inning, which was the cause of the injury. It doesn't appear to be significant, but fantasy managers will want to double-check his status for Sunday's game when the lineup comes out. The 34-year-old was 0-for-4 before being removed from the game and is now 1-for-9 (.111) to start the year with no home runs and a 0:4 BB:K. Rafael Marchan would be in line for the start if Realmuto doesn't give it a go.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson wants to preserve catcher J.T. Realmuto's body this season, which will almost certainly mean that he will catch fewer games in 2025. "I don't have a specific number I want to catch. There's no perfect answer, no way to know how my body is going to feel. Where I stand right now, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to catch (120 games). My body feels as good right now as it ever has," Realmuto said. The 33-year-old has caught 130 games in three of his five full years with the Phillies, but that number dropped to 99 in 2024 after he had surgery on his meniscus in June. He stole only two bases last year stealing 37 the previous three years. On days he doesn't catch in 2025, the Phillies would like him to DH and play first base and possibly left field. With Realmuto likely to run less again in 2025, his fantasy stock as an aging catcher has taken a hit, and RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 12 fantasy backstop.