The Atlanta Braves have yet to get out of Spring Training and have already been hit with the
injury bug. The team announced Monday morning that catcher Sean Murphy will likely miss four
to six weeks to start the season due to suffering a fractured rib after getting hit by a pitch during
the team’s game against the Miami Marlins on Friday. The latest development is another tough
break for Murphy, who suffered an abdominal strain on Opening Day last season in Philadelphia
and finished with a 0.193 batting average and 10 home runs in 72 games. As a result of the
injury and missed time, Murphy never got into a rhythm at the plate.
Braves pitchers will also miss Murphy’s defense and presence behind the plate. The team’s
pitching staff accumulated a combined 2.85 ERA (Earned Runs Average) last season with
Murphy catching, as opposed to a 3.93 ERA without him. He also caught 19 runners stealing in
2023 and 15 last year, despite starting in 31 fewer games.
Murphy’s injury gives 23-year-old Drake Baldwin, Atlanta’s top prospect, an opportunity to assert
himself as an everyday Major League catcher early on and become the next homegrown Braves
catching prospect to develop into a star. Baldwin will likely split time with veteran catcher
Chadwick Tromp, who produced a 0.250 batting average in 19 games.
