Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy was forced to exit his team's 8-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday after being hit by a pitch, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.
“Sean Murphy left with a large welt on the inner part of his right elbow after being hit by pitch in 9th inning. Cameras showed how quickly and significantly it swelled, before he even got to 1st base. Braves catcher has been back 1 week after 2 months on IL w/ strained oblique.”
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, the Braves' catcher was struck on the right elbow by a tailing fastball from Red Sox right-hander Chase Anderson:
By the time Murphy had made it down to first base, a massive welt had formed on his elbow, and he was forced to exit the game.
The Braves had just activated Murphy off of the IL last Thursday after he missed 49 games with an oblique strain suffered on Opening Day.
Murphy suffered his injury in the seventh inning of Atlanta's Opening Day matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies after swinging at Matt Strahm's pitch. The Braves vet immediately grabbed his left side following the swing and proceeded to walk off the field after a conversation with trainer George Poulis.
With Murphy returning for Atlanta, the Braves had sent backup catcher Chadwick Tromp back to AAA Gwinnett. Travis d'Arnaud, who filled in admirably in Murphy's absence after platooning with him in 2023, remains available to catch for the team.
Sean Murphy was a 2023 All-Star with the Braves
Atlanta swung a major trade with the Oakland Athletics to acquire Murphy prior to the 2023 season, sending away young backstop William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers. But in his first year with the Braves, Murphy proved why they were willing to pay such a hefty price.
Over 108 games, the catcher earned his first career All-Star appearance by hitting .251 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI. His batting average, home runs and RBI were all career-highs. But while his 2023 season made him a household name, Murphy was putting up similar numbers during his time with the Athletics. he has at least 17 home runs and 66 RBI since 2021. In Atlanta, Murphy has just been more consistent at the plate as well as doing a stellar job handling the Braves' excellent pitching staff.
Murphy was available to play more than 108 games for the Braves, but manager Brian Snitker made the decision to platoon he and d'Arnaud in an effort to keep both players fresh throughout the season. The move paid off in 2023, and having d'Arnaud available to fill in on a daily basis while Murphy was out for the majority of the 2024 season so far is a luxury that many teams wish they had.
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