Phillies make ‘tough decision’ in choosing Rafael Marchan over Garrett Stubbs as backup catcher

One thousand, two hundred and sixty-five days have passed since Garrett Stubbs, the energetic and fan-favorite backup catcher, last played a game in the minor leagues. On Oct. 2, 2021, he suited up for the Sugar Land Skeeters, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and went 1-for-1 with two walks against the Round Rock Express as 5,936 fans converged for the Skeeters’ penultimate contest of the season at Constellation Field. Stubbs’ entire career has changed since then.

The month after that evening in Sugar Land, Texas, Stubbs was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and has been a fixture in the clubhouse for the past three seasons. He’s played behind J.T. Realmuto on playoff teams and created the music playlists that have blasted around the Delaware Valley for three postseason runs. He’s developed a role serving the pitching staff and helping the unit prepare.

Those contributions made it difficult for the Phillies to make the move they did on Thursday morning, when they optioned Stubbs to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Barring an injury or unforeseen circumstance in the final days of spring training, the 31-year-old backstop will soon play his first minor-league game in four seasons; Rafael Marchan, the only other catcher on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster aside from Stubbs and Realmuto, will join the big leaguers as they head to Washington, D.C., for Opening Day on March 27.

“It is a tough decision,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said earlier this month when asked about the backup-catcher battle. “It really is.”

While it may not have been easy, the team’s choice was necessary to ensure it could keep both Stubbs and Marchan in the organization. Stubbs had a minor-league option remaining, and Marchan didn’t. That meant the Phillies would’ve had to expose Marchan to waivers if they tried to send him to Lehigh Valley. It wasn’t the case with Stubbs. With no clear fourth catcher in the system, this outcome seemed inevitable.

The left-handed-hitting Stubbs had a very strong first season in Philadelphia as he batted .264/.350/.462 with five home runs in 121 plate appearances over 46 games, but his production slipped in the following two years. He hit for a combined .206/.287/.271 slash line with two home runs in 312 plate appearances across 95 games in 2023 and 2024. The Phillies could use more from their second catcher going forward.

Stubbs has found more success at the plate this spring after making some tweaks to his swing, including the addition of a more powerful stride than he used last year. With the realities of the roster machinations, those improvements weren’t enough to save his job. He should have more opportunities for at-bats with the IronPigs while working with some of the younger pitchers coming through the Phillies’ system.

“This is Year 4, so the last three years I’ve done nothing but help this team win,” Stubbs said last week. “And I plan on doing that going forward, no matter what the situation is.”

Marchan’s status is intriguing because he may be uniquely suited to be a backup catcher. He clearly has some potential, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field with regularity due to injury. Most clubs want their younger players to get as much playing time as possible, but Marchan hasn’t proven he can handle that. Now 26, he can slide into a less demanding post.

As Realmuto’s understudy, there should be less wear and tear for Marchan, even as the Phillies aim to give their three-time All-Star starter some additional days off his feet in 2025. Marchan knows he’ll need to be ready for each game and would like to be out there competing, but he can also see the benefits of playing less frequently.

“Obviously, I want to play every day,” he recently told Phillies Nation. “But if that’s not the case, that’s something that can help my body to play and stay healthy.”

When he does step onto the field, there’s reason to think Marchan can bring more offensively than the Phillies have gotten out of Stubbs in the last couple seasons. While Marchan is another solid defender, he’s flashed some pop from both sides of the plate in his short stints in the majors leagues — more pop than he’s shown in the minors.

Marchan has five home runs in 40 career major-league games and nine home runs in 441 minor-league games. His teammates joke that he doesn’t worry about the minors and saves all his power for the show. It’s likely that he’ll regress in a larger sample size up with the Phillies, but maybe there’s some truth to that. He’ll have the chance to show that he can keep hanging in the majors for a longer period of time.

“The big leagues are so fun,” Marchan said. “… I just try to do my job and follow my plan to have a good result.”