Ha-Seong Kim will grab all the headlines Thursday morning, and rightfully so — movie directors couldn’t have written that script. But the performance from Sean Murphy last night shouldn’t get lost in Kim’s heroics.
The veteran catcher, who has spent most of the season on the IL, played in back-to-back games for the second time all year. A move that paid significant dividends, as Murphy recorded three hits, including a home run that ultimately proved to be the difference in Atlanta’s thrilling win over the Dodgers.
But was that a one-off, or should we expect to see more of Murphy moving forward? Walt Weiss addressed exactly that ahead of Wednesday’s game, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Walt Weiss indicated Sean Murphy will be his catcher for at least half of the remaining regular season games.
Benefits:
1) Consistent playing time should improve Murphy's offensive production
2) Baldwin's legs can stay fresh when he spends time as the DH
3) Murphy is one of the… pic.twitter.com/6rnzi0qwZ5— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 27, 2026
Sometimes in this business, you have a take and it takes months to be proven right. Other times it happens a lot quicker.
I’ve written a few times over the last couple of weeks about how the Braves needed to give Sean Murphy more playing time, especially when the alternative was running out guys like Jim Jarvis, who were providing next to nothing.
Murphy isn’t the most beloved player in Braves country right now, and that’s understandable. The Braves traded a fan favorite in William Contreras to get him, paid him a bunch of money, and he hasn’t held up his end of the bargain — even if a lot of that comes down to injuries.
But he’s still a valuable piece who could end up playing a huge role down the stretch, both for what he does behind the plate and for the upside in his bat. He just needs the playing time.
When Murphy does get some runway, the results can come in a hurry. Even last year, when he hit below the Mendoza Line across 94 games, he had two separate months where he posted an OPS above .900.
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April 2025: .990 OPS
July 2025: .925 OPS
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Murphy isn’t going to rake like that consistently, but that version of him exists — and it isn’t even the best part of what he brings to the table. The difference between him and Drake Baldwin calling a game has been night and day. There’s a reason the Braves pitching staff has been even better since Murphy returned from the IL, and it’s exactly what made Atlanta’s front office fall in love with him in the first place.
If the Braves had a true mashing DH on his way to 30-plus homers, this would be an entirely different conversation. But they don’t, which allows Baldwin to slide into that role and Murphy to play where he’s most valuable.
It’s nice that Walt Weiss is finally seeing the light, because it could end up being a significant factor in how far this club goes come October.
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(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)