Struggling J.T. Realmuto dropped to eighth; Aaron Nola will need minor league start before returning

When Rob Thomson makes a notable change to the Phillies’ lineup, he prefers to give the players advance notice.

But sometimes bad news can wait.

So, although Thomson decided Monday to drop struggling J.T. Realmuto to eighth in the order — a spot the veteran catcher has occupied only 10 times in his career and once since 2017 — he waited a day to let him know.

“I didn’t want to ruin his off-day,” Thomson said.

» READ MORE: Need a rest? J.T. Realmuto will never admit it, even as his offense dips. But his value goes beyond his bat.

Realmuto is stuck in a 6-for-36 rut, part of a larger overall downturn at the plate. Entering the series opener Tuesday night against the rival Braves, he was batting .232 with a .684 OPS.

And as the Phillies attempt to get Realmuto back on track, Thomson is intent on “letting him breathe a little bit.” One way to do that: bumping Alec Bohm (.360 with a .976 OPS since May 3) up to the No. 5 spot and sliding Realmuto behind Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler against hard-throwing Braves righty Spencer Strider.

“J.T.’s trying a bunch of different stuff right now,” Thomson said. “He’s working hard to maybe limit his leg kick a little bit and just get the timing better. Just wanted to take a little pressure off him.”

Realmuto’s struggles have been more pronounced against left-handed pitching, an oddity considering he bats from the right side. Entering the week, he was 5-for-51 (.098) with a .285 OPS against lefties compared to 34-for-117 (.291) with an .854 OPS against righties.

The only time since 2017 that Realmuto batted eighth was May 21, 2022, against the Dodgers. At the time, he was batting .224 with a .621 OPS. He stayed in the No. 8 spot one game and batted .295 with an .894 OPS thereafter.

For years, whenever Realmuto struggled, hitting coach Kevin Long would suggest reducing or eliminating his leg kick. Realmuto usually resists. He has grown comfortable with the leg kick as a timing mechanism. When everything is right, he starts it as soon as the pitcher breaks his hands.

But Realmuto can be vulnerable when a pitcher changes speeds, especially with two strikes.

“He’s not going to get away from his leg kick,” Long said last month. “We’ve talked many, many times, and he’s like, ‘Work within it. I’ve been able to do it in the past, and that’s what I want to do.’ So, that’s what we do.”

» READ MORE: The Phillies will keep riding their starters while they figure out their bullpen mix

One thing the Phillies won’t do, according to Thomson, is reduce Realmuto’s workload behind the plate. In starting 45 of 54 games, he’s on pace for 135 starts, which would top his career-high of 130 in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

It’s a lot for any catcher, especially a 34-year-old.

Thomson mentioned several times in the offseason about the possibility of trimming back Realmuto’s workload to keep him as fresh as possible. Instead, the Phillies have utilized days off in the schedule to keep Realmuto in the lineup. He has caught four days in a row only twice.

“I think we’ve been giving him pretty good rest,” Thomson said. “It’s usually pretty much around three [consecutive] days, whether he gets a day off because of a true day off or we get [backup Rafael] Marchán in there. So, I think we’re keeping him healthy and keeping him fresh.”

Besides, Thomson said the Phillies recognize benefits to having Realmuto behind the plate even if he isn’t producing at the plate. He’s scheduled to start all three games against the Braves.

(It’s an interesting dynamic since Realmuto can be a free agent after the season, but that’s a topic for another day.)

“He’s got to play through [a slump] because he’s so important behind the plate to our pitching staff,” Thomson said. “Marchán does a great job as well. But J.T.’s the captain out there. He’s the backbone, the guy that everybody looks to, so I want him out there as much as he can.”

After throwing lightly off a bullpen mound, Aaron Nola said he still felt some discomfort in his sprained right ankle. He’s hoping to be able to throw a higher-intensity bullpen session Thursday and conceded he’ll need a minor league tune-up before he starts again for the Phillies.

Nola, on the injured list for the first time since 2017, has been sidelined since May 16.

“It’s just not all the way there yet,” Nola said. “Hopefully it’ll respond good [Wednesday], and Thursday I can kind of push it a little.”

» READ MORE: With José Alvarado suspended, the Phillies will need to boost the bullpen with a trade. But it will cost them.

Taijuan Walker reentered the rotation in place of Nola and allowed three runs in five innings last week in Colorado. He’s scheduled to start again Friday night at home against the Brewers.

Top prospect Andrew Painter is scheduled to throw six innings and/or 80-85 pitches this week for triple-A Lehigh Valley and remains on track to make his major league debut in the summer. Thomson said the Phillies’ “July-ish” timetable hasn’t changed. … Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) is scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday against Braves righty A.J. Smith-Shawver (3-2, 3.67).