NORTH PORT, Fla. — Sean Murphy might want to start burning sage. His past year hasn’t provided much good luck.
Murphy, who previously never had been on the injured list, missed two months last season after suffering an oblique injury opening day. It began the worst season of his career.
Healthy and tasked with handling the bulk of catcher duties with Travis d’Arnaud having left for Anaheim, Murphy appeared primed for a bounce-back campaign. He still might be, but it’ll be delayed after a pitch hit him and cracked a rib earlier this week, sidelining him for an estimated four to six weeks.
“I got hit hard and I knew it,” Murphy said. “I guess I’m not surprised. I woke up (the next day), and I was a little too sore for a hit by pitch. It wasn’t dissipating. I wasn’t too surprised (the rib was cracked).”
One silver lining is his process should be easier than last spring, dealing with a bone rather than muscle. But it nonetheless robs Murphy of at least a week to start the regular season. The team could turn to unproven top prospect Drake Baldwin, or a veteran such as Chadwick Tromp, Sandy Leon or Curt Casali, in his absence.
“As far as (late April) being the worst-case scenario, not too bad,” Murphy said. “Never broke a rib, we’ll see. I have no control over (the injury happening). I can be frustrated, but nothing to be frustrated at. Stuff happens.”
Manager Brian Snitker: “I hate it for Murph because he came here looking forward to getting the lion’s share of the catching this year. Hopefully he’s back sooner than later. I saw him this morning and he was — you sleep on it and you realize there’s nothing you can do about it, you might as well not beat yourself up. Now it’s just about getting treatments and doing all the right things, which they will.”
The Braves acquired Murphy in a somewhat surprising deal with the A’s before the 2023 season. The team promptly signed him to a five-year, $75 million deal, committing to him as the backstop of the present and future. His debut season was terrific, earning Murphy his first All-Star nod as he posted an .844 OPS for one of the best offenses in history. He cooled off later in the season, though, and saw those struggles carry into 2024 after beginning the campaign sidelined.
Murphy’s early injury was a sign of what was to come for the 2024 Braves, a once-promising roster that wound up decimated by injuries. Murphy hit .193/.284/.352 over 72 games. The Braves expect him to perform better while playing more regularly, but he won’t get that opportunity until the season has begun.
“It was a tough blow,” reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale said. “You just feel bad for him. Obviously muscle last year, bone this year. We were hoping to leave those things in the rearview mirror. But it happens. It’s sports. This is baseball. You just adjust and try to move on the best you can.”
The Braves open the season March 27 in San Diego. Their lineup mostly will feature players who were with the club a year ago, outside a new starting backstop and left fielder Jurickson Profar, who the club signed to a three-year, $42 million contract as its lone noteworthy free-agent acquisition.
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