Though they were unaware of it at the time, the Atlanta Braves’ opening-day loss of ace catcher Sean Murphy due to a strained left oblique was a sign of an impending offensive struggle.
Murphy is just one of many players in a squad that is anticipated to provide large totals who are not clicking.
Murphy is only looking to get healthy and return to the race, unlike some of the other sluggish starters over the first quarter of the season. He started a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday, which marked the beginning of his career.
Murphy said, “I feel good,” to Bally Sports. “I’m thrilled to be back playing baseball here. Although being on the IL isn’t enjoyable, this is a positive step, and maybe I’ll be back in the starting lineup soon.
Murphy’s first at-bat for Gwinnett resulted in a 449-foot home run, serving as a not-so-subtle reminder of the effect he could make. For his first game action since March 29 against the Philadelphia Phillies, he caught seven innings and enhanced his performance by striking out a runner attempting to steal.
For a major league team that could use all the assistance it could get at the plate, all of those views were welcome.
The Braves were able to average 5.9 runs per game in 2023, but they haven’t even gotten close to matching that level of output since. The team this year has averaged 4.6 runs per game, but in the last 25 games, that average has only been 3.2.
Just one season after leading the majors with 947 runs, the Braves ranked 16th in all of Major League Baseball with 206 runs scored through 45 games.
In 2023, his first season with Atlanta, Murphy was a National League All-Star with a career-high 21 home runs and 68 RBIs in 108 games. He also finished with a.478 slugging percentage, which topped all big league catchers with at least 400 plate appearances.
Putting that kind of hitter back in the order would only serve to strengthen a scuffling lineup.
Dealing with his first lengthy stay on the injured list, Murphy has been eagerly anticipating his return. Oblique injuries are notoriously tricky because the condition typically only improves with time and little or no baseball activities.
It was the game that no player wants to play — the waiting game.
“The first couple of weeks, you just can’t do anything,” Murphy said. “The way the oblique is, rest is the only thing you can do, pretty much. … It was very boring. I’d go to the field and I would do some rehab stuff, but it was mostly just sitting around and trying to help where I can with scouting and what not. You kind of go stir crazy.”
Over the past few weeks, Murphy was able to increase his activity and became more and more confident his issue was resolved.
That was especially true once he was cleared to begin hitting again.
“The last week was just feeling great doing everything,” Murphy said. “I was doing all the stuff I needed to do to prep for a game, just short of actually playing in it. I was doing the whole routine and getting all the work in, doing every aspect of the game I needed to do, and comfortably, too. That was when it was time to move forward.”
While with Gwinnett, Murphy will run through a handful of games on a work schedule geared to get him back into the swing of things both at the plate and behind it. Murphy was quick to point on that the numbers take a back seat to how he is feeling, something the Braves will keep a keen eye on this week.
If all goes well, he would likely rejoin the club Monday when the Braves welcome the Washington Nationals to Truist Park.
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