Latest on Braves Catcher Sean Murphy’s Injury

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.