The Philadelphia Phillies received some very relieving news on Saturday evening, as initial X-ray tests on star catcher J.T. Realmuto’s bruised left foot came back negative, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
The three-time All Star was taken out of Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Nationals after fouling a ball off the foot in question.
The team said at the time the move was purely precautionary since the team was up big against on their division foes by a score of 10-3 when the incident occurred.
Realmuto was replaced by backup catcher Rafael Marchán, who finished out the rest of what was ultimately an 11-6 Phillies win.
The team is breathing sigh of relief following these test results, as their longtime catcher has been plagued by bad injury luck in recent years.
Realmuto spent a month on the injured list in 2024, which hurt the team a bit in their quest to capture the top overall seed in the National League. While they ultimately secured their first division title since the 2011 season, it was clear that even when Realmuto came back he was still struggling.
Entering the season with a clean bill of health was a welcome sign for both Realmuto and Philadelphia, but the scary moment at the plate on Saturday was cause for some bated breath.
The initial X-ray coming back negative alleviates some of those concerns, but the team may still decide to rest their veteran catcher just as a further precaution.
All that being said, it appears that Realmuto has finally caught a break when it comes to dealing with the injury bug.