Even though the Braves opened the season with a bang, defeating the Phillies behind a seven run eighth inning and a strong performance from their bullpen, they suffered a massive blow when Sean Murphy exited the game with an oblique injury.
The Braves All-Star catcher has already been placed on the 10-day IL, and manager Brian Snitker said before Saturday’s game, “It’s going to be a while.”
“It’s going to be a while. Holy cow you hate those things, but he is a big strong guy. Hopefully it is sooner than later.”
Brian Snitker discusses the status of Sean Murphy and adding Chadwick Tromp to the roster⤵️ pic.twitter.com/KPDdtOxsl4
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) March 30, 2024
Judging by the way things went down yesterday, this shouldn’t catch anyone off-guard. Oblique injuries are miserable. They’re uncomfortable and can flare up if not healed properly. Given that it is March, there’s no need to take any chances with such an important player like Sean Murphy. I would expect him to miss at least a month, and probably more like two.
The good news is the Braves might have the best backup catcher in baseball with Travis d’Arnaud. He was an All-Star as recently as 2022 but willingly took a backseat when the Braves acquired Sean Murphy. He’ll handle most of the load, and the Braves have called up Chadwick Tromp to replace Murphy for the time being.
Tromp’s been with the Braves organization for the last few years, appearing in seven games over the last two seasons. He’s no Sean Murphy, but he has some pop in his bat and is a more than capable backup behind Travis d’Arnaud that can fill in a couple of times a week to give him rest.
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Photographer: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
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