Apr 15, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Steve Cishek (31) (right) reacts with catcher J.T. Realmuto after defeating the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Marlins defeated the Braves 6-2. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK — Do the Miami Marlins have a catcher controversy brewing?
Rookie J.T. Realmuto made his second straight start behind the plate Thursday, when he went 0-for-4 in the Marlins’ 7-5 loss to the New York Mets.
Judging by the pregame comments of manager Mike Redmond, Realmuto — who made his major league debut Wednesday — may be out there again Friday and perhaps for a couple days beyond that at the expense of veteran catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
The Marlins signed Saltalamacchia to a three-year, $21 million deal following the 2013 season, but he hit just .220 in 2014 and has two hits and 11 strikeouts in his first 22 at-bats this year.
“There’s no doubt Salty’s been grinding,” Redmond said. “The idea is to give him a couple of days just to kind of regroup and we’ll go from there.”
Of course, if it was just a matter of a couple days off, would Redmond feel the need to speak to Saltalamacchia about the matter in a conversation the manager described as “touchy?”
“It’s always a touchy situation anytime you have conversations with guys and you have to give them a break,” Redmond said. “We’re trying to win ballgames here, and if giving Salty a few extra days here or there helps him and helps us, then it will be worth it.”
The injury suffered by backup catcher Jeff Mathis — he broke his right ring finger when he was hit by a foul tip on Sunday — may have opened the door for Redmond to make the move.
Mathis is a 32-year-old who is a lifetime .195 hitter in the bigs, while the 24-year-old Realmuto, who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans when Mathis went on the disabled list on Monday, has been one of the Marlins’ top prospects almost from the day he was drafted in 2010.
Redmond said it wouldn’t benefit the Marlins or Realmuto to promote him from Triple-A New Orleans, where he was playing every day, in order to place him on the bench.
“With young guys, you want to be careful to not sit them on the bench for an extended period of time,” Redmond said. “So we’ll try to get him in there as much as we can.”
