Phillies' catching depth chart still looks thin even with J.T. Realmuto back

While he is by no means a needle-mover at this point, the Philadelphia Phillies reluctantly needed J.T. Realmuto’s glove behind the dish going into 2026. There were rumors all offseason about the Phillies pivoting from the “run it back” offense, but after losing out on Bo Bichette they decided to stick with what they know.

Of course, there's the fact that Realmuto is comfortable with the pitching staff. He’ll be a fantastic first battery mate for the younger pitchers who could make an MLB debut this year, like Andrew Painter or Zach McCambley. However, with consistently declining offensive performance, age is not necessarily on Realmuto’s side, given the physically demanding position.

Still, Realmuto's re-signing, regardless of his production at the plate this season, was necessary. This offseason, the Phillies have been resistant to trading for a catcher, even while allegedly continuously undervaluing Realmuto in contract talks.

J.T. Realmuto's return boosts Phillies' rather abysmal catching depth chart

Before the Phillies re-signed Realmuto, it was projected that the team’s opening day catcher would have been Rafael Marchán, who seemed more than willing to step into a larger role in 2026. Marchán has undoubtedly proven himself a fine backup catcher, but enough to be an everyday player, at least offensively. The switch-hitter performed strongly defensively in 2025, but at the plate, he slashed just .210/.282/.305 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 118 plate appearances.

A catching duo of Marchán and Garrett Stubbs, who spent most of 2025 in Triple-A, would just not be sustainable for a 162-game season. Sure, Realmuto had -2 defensive runs saved (DRS) in 2025, and Marchán had +1 DRS. And both of their pop times are comparable to Realmuto, so it wasn’t a matter of if either of them could perform defensively. It was the gaping hole offensively that worried fans before the Phillies retained Realmuto.

Here's a quick look at the Phillies' catching depth chart, including ages on Opening Day and projected level to begin 2026.

Beyond Marchán and Stubbs, the Phillies' catching depth looks even more bleak. Right now, there are three more backstops who could wind up in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, none of whom are on th 40-man roster but who have all been invited to spring training. None of them are anything more than a backup to a more consistent everyday player.

There's Mark Kolozsvary, whom the Phillies picked up from the Boston Red Sox last year in free agency. The 30-year-old has appeared in only 11 games at the major league level.

There's René Pinto, 29, who recently signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies. He has had the most MLB exposure of the lot, playing in 83 games with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2022 to 2024.

And there's Paul McIntosh, 28, who came as a part of the Jesús Luzardo deal last winter. He has yet to play in a big league game.

Beyond that, the Phillies have a pair of MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects in Double-A Reading.

Caleb Ricketts (Phillies No. 22) had his best full professional season last year since being a seventh-round pick in 2022. The 25-year-old slashed .275/.315/.438 with eight home runs, with most of his playing time coming with the Fightin Phils.

Kehden Hettiger (Phillies No. 23) made it to Double-A in 2025 but spent most of the year in High-A Jersey Shore. The 2023 11th-rounder slashed .218/.322/.365 in 100 total games, with a .232/.330/.389 slashline in 85 games with the BlueClaws.

So, while many hoped the Phillies would scrap the run it back mentality, if Realmuto found himself somewhere else this winter, the Phillies would've taken a step back, not forward, with their internal catching options. Although there's every reason to believe that they would have gone outside the organization to find a better starting option.