Murphy will miss the beginning of the season for the second consecutive year
For the second consecutive year, the Atlanta Braves will begin the season without catcher Sean Murphy. Murphy will miss four to six weeks with a cracked rib, Braves manager Brian Snitker announced on Monday.
Murphy suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch from William Kempner in the fourth inning of Friday’s 7-2 win over the Miami Marlins in Grapefruit League play. However, he stayed in the game and continued to catch.
On Saturday, Murphy told the team he felt soreness and a cracked rib was diagnosed.
“Guys want to play, that’s how they’re wired. It’s real stuff when you start breaking things, strains, all that,” he added. “I hate it for him because I know he had a great attitude and mindset coming in this spring. But it’s something we have to deal with.”
Murphy’s injury could create an opportunity for top prospect Drake Baldwin, who figured to begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett so he could play every day. However, he’s not on the Braves’ 40-man roster so if he were to be added, someone else would have to be moved.
Last season, Baldwin progressed from Double-A to Triple-A, batting .276 with a .793 OPS, 19 doubles, 16 home runs and 88 RBI. Baldwin, who will turn 24 on March 28, was Atlanta’s 2022 third-round selection out of Missouri State. MLB.com rates him as the Braves’ No. 1 minor-league prospect.
Big day at the plate for Drake Baldwin 😤
MLB's No. 63 prospect drives in a pair of runs on a three-hit day for @Braves, with one single leaving his bat at 105.6 mph: pic.twitter.com/wQwJP5ctOQ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 28, 2025
Otherwise, Atlanta has Chadwick Tromp (slated to be Murphy’s backup), along with veterans Sandy León and Curt Casali — both non-roster invitees — as catchers in spring camp.
Murphy, 30, missed the first two months of last season with a left oblique strain and went on to post the worst numbers of his six-year major league career. He batted .193 with a .636 OPS, 10 home runs and 25 RBI in 72 games (264 plate appearances).
In 2023, Murphy was an All-Star for the Braves, batting .251/.365/.478 with 21 doubles, 21 homers and 68 RBI. Prior to that season, he signed a six-year, $73 million deal with the team after being acquired from the Athletics.
The Braves were already going to be without outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (torn ACL), starting pitcher Spencer Strider (elbow surgery) and reliever Joe Jiménez (knee surgery), each recovering from injuries to begin the 2025 season.
