The Philadelphia Phillies' offense has seen a fair share of down moments this season waiting to turn the corner. Over the last month it seems like with the help of catcher J.T. Realmuto the offense has received the spark it needed.
Realmuto had struggled much of the first two months of the season in which he hit with a slash line of just .222/.293/.361. The Phillies offense had struggled through that time as well. Things took a big turn for the Phillies' catcher starting in June. He raised his average to .244 after hitting .293 in June, followed by a hot July in which he hit .354. This helped raise his season slash line to .269/.320/.393.
Entering Sunday, over his last 30 games, Realmuto is hitting .322/.344/.446. It has been a big improvement which has helped put the offense into another gear and find an extra bat this team was looking for. He has added 12 RBIs, two stolen bases and 14 runs scored in that stretch, making the Phillies' lineup deeper.
J.T. Realmuto's surge at the plate has helped spark the middle of the lineup
In 12 games since the All-Star break, five of Realmuto's 14 hits have been for extra bases, with three doubles and two home runs. If he can bring back some of his power the Phillies could use that tremendously as well.
The Phillies hit the fourth most home runs in the month of July with 37 in 23 games. They had their second-most extra-base hits in a month this season (in five fewer games) with Realmuto's recent surge. The Phillies had 80 extra-base hits in July and 86 in June when Realmuto started heating up.
The other important factor from Realmuto was the team needing to find someone to step up in the absence of Alec Bohm who hit the IL with a fractured rib on July 19. Realmuto has stepped up, moving up in the order to help the offense stay afloat. Since the All-Star break, he has hit lower than fifth in the lineup only once, when he hit seventh in the first game back. Fans saw the difference he can make in New York against the Yankees when he hit a go-ahead three-run home run to give the Phillies a 6-3 lead at that point in the game.
J.T., are you for REAL?! pic.twitter.com/yd86k1ASln
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 26, 2025
The main area Realmuto needs to improve for this Phillies offense is consistently putting the ball in play. In 12 games since the All-Star break he has struck out 14 times, and over his last 30 games, he has 30 strikeouts. He consistently comes to the plate with runners on base, and even finding ways to move runners up for preceding hitters could go a long way. His 24.3 percent strikeout rate is the second highest on the team among qualified hitters.
Realmuto, while not a deadline move on paper, has acted like one over the last 30 games and the Phillies definitely will need his bat down the stretch and into a potential postseason run. With his contract status heading into the offseason as a free agent, he could be playing himself into a new deal.