Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy exited an Opening Day victory in the 7th inning after an injury while taking a swing. Murphy immediately grabbed his side and fans feared that he would miss significant time. However, X-rays came back negative, and while it is a left oblique injury, it is only a grade one strain. While this is still an injury to be cautious with, this is certainly much better than it could have been. In the meantime, the Braves have a more than competent backup catcher in Travis d’Arnaud. Atlanta will also call up Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett. Tromp will serve as the backup catcher for the time being.
Sean Murphy has a Grade 1 oblique strain. It was probably the best possible outcome, Brian Snitker said.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) March 31, 2024
The Braves are off to a 3-1 start after taking the first two games of the season in Philadelphia and taking the first game against the Chicago White Sox. Since Murphy’s injury is not as severe as initially feared, he is only heading to the 10-day IL. This is quite a break for Atlanta, given the fact that Murphy is one of the top catchers in baseball.
Filling the Void Amid Sean Murphy’s Injury
The Braves lineup is one of the best in all of baseball when healthy. As previously mentioned, Travis d’Arnaud is more than capable of serving as the Braves starting catcher for the time being. He is a career .249 hitter and is solid behind the plate. He is also a veteran in this league given that he is 35 years old. As far as the lineup construction goes, Murphy hit in the seventh spot on Opening Day and d’Arnaud has typically hit in the eighth spot this season, so there’s not much change there.
Murphy is coming off a 21-homer season in 2023 after being named an All-Star for the first time in his career. He also has a Gold Glove under his belt, proving that he can hold his own on both sides of the plate. Hopefully, there are no setbacks with Murphy’s injury, and he will likely be activated on April 9th.
Schedule Outlook
The Braves won the first game against the White Sox on Monday to improve to 3-1. They have two more games in Chicago before an off day on Thursday. Then, the Braves will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games and the New York Mets for four games. It is expected that Murphy will return in the middle of the series versus the Mets. With the off day in between the series with the White Sox and D-backs, d’Arnaud should stay fresh while the Braves await the return of Murphy.
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