Braves' Sean Murphy: Out 4-to-6 weeks with fractured rib
Rotowire
Murphy will be out for 4-to-6 weeks after being diagnosed Monday with a fractured rib on his left side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Murphy suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch Friday, and he will need a stint on the injured list to begin the season. The door is now open for top prospect Drake Baldwin to begin the season as Atlanta's starting catcher. However, Baldwin is not on the 40-man roster, so the club could go with Chadwick Tromp and one of Sandy Leon or Curt Casali if they're confident Murphy's absence will be relatively brief.
Murphy believes the oblique injury he suffered Opening Day last season prevented him from ever getting comfortable with his swing, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "It was a combination of a bunch of things," Murphy said this week. "Missing that much time at the beginning, that's not how I wanted to begin the season. I'm not sure my swing ever felt correct coming off the oblique, not that I was in any pain or hurt. Some things just fell off, and I never caught up and found a way to adjust."
The 30-year-old backstop roared out to an .843 OPS with 21 homers and 68 RBI -- all career highs -- over 108 games in his first season for Atlanta in 2023, but Murphy's production cratered in 2024 through 72 contests after he returned from the oblique strain. The team seems confident that the poor performance was an aberration, however, as Travis d'Arnaud was allowed to leave in free agency, leaving only Chadwick Tromp, Curt Casali and prospect Drake Baldwin competing for the backup job in camp. Murphy still has four more seasons left on the six-year, $73 million contract he signed in 2022, with Atlanta holding a $15 million club option for 2029, so he will be given every chance to regain his previous offensive form.
