The Braves announced that catcher Sean Murphy has been activated from the 10-day injured list. Fellow backstop Chadwick Tromp was designated for assignment to create space on Murphy on the active roster.
The moves are surprising on a couple of levels, firstly because Murphy played only three games during his Triple-A rehab assignment. Murphy was expected to spend the full nine innings behind the plate in another Triple-A game today and then likely get activated from the IL prior to Tuesday’s game with the Phillies, but the Braves instead opted to bring Murphy back a little early.
Murphy suffered a cracked left rib after he was hit by a pitch during a Spring Training game at the start of March. Given a 4-6 week recovery timeline, Murphy’s return falls squarely within that timeframe, so the fact that the Braves felt confident enough to forego Murphy’s last rehab game is a good sign that the catcher is back to full health.
Now entering his third season in Atlanta, Murphy is looking to bounce back from a dreadful 2024 campaign. Murphy was an All-Star in 2023, but an early-season oblique injury cost him most of the first two months of the 2024 season, and he never really got on track, leading to a .193/.284/.352 slash line over 264 plate appearances. The catcher’s hopes of a rebound year were then delayed by his rib injury, though he’ll end up missing only the first nine games of the Braves’ season.
Murphy hasn’t missed much, as the Braves are a dismal 1-8 over their first nine games Most of Atlanta’s starting lineup has gotten off to a cold start, so there’s an even greater need for Murphy to regain his 2023 form.
It appears as though the club will keep Drake Baldwin on the big league roster as Murphy’s backup, which is the other unexpected element of today’s news. Indications were that Baldwin would optioned back to Triple-A in order to get more regular playing time. Instead, the Braves chose to DFA Tromp, who is out of minor league options and must clear waivers in order for the Braves to move him to the minors.
Baldwin is hitting only .154/.241/.192 over his first 29 Major League plate appearances, so it isn’t as if the top prospect is forcing his way into continued playing time. It could be that the Braves plan to somewhat ease Murphy back into regular duty, thus leaving the door open for Baldwin to still get a good chunk of at-bats and try to acclimate himself against big league pitching.
Tromp has appeared in 28 games for the Braves since the start of the 2022 season, getting some spot duty in place of other catchers like Murphy, Travis d’Arnaud, and William Contreras. If Tromp clears waivers, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career. It is possible he could explore other opportunities on the open market, but Tromp’s lack of minor league options somewhat limits his appeal to other teams looking for catching depth. The Braves have another veteran in Sandy Leon at Triple-A and just acquired Jason Delay earlier this week in a trade, so the club could be ready to move on from Tromp entirely.