Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto leaves game with lower back tightness

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto left Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves with lower back tightness, the team announced. Backup Rafael Marchán replaced him behind the plate in the top of the seventh inning of Philadelphia’s 3-1 loss in a National League East matchup at Citizens Bank Park.

“We’re checking on him now,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said postgame. “I doubt if he’ll play tomorrow, but we’ll check him in the morning.”

Thomson said Realmuto actually hurt his back on Friday night. He attempted to field a throw to the plate from the outfield and “jammed his knee and jammed his back reaching for it.” Realmuto’s knee is fine, but his back bothered him enough to need to come out Saturday. Thomson said he didn’t expect Realmuto to need a stint on the injured list, but it was still too early to know for sure.

Realmuto went 0-for-2 against left-hander Chris Sale before he was removed. He’s been one of the club’s more productive right-handed hitters with a .280 average and .748 OPS. The Phillies lost their fourth game in a row on Saturday, and their struggles on both offense and defense continued.