Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Murphy (finger) is getting close to beginning a rehab assignment, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
A fractured left middle finger has kept Murphy on the shelf since mid-May, but he's been starting to check off the boxes necessary to move on to playing in minor-league games. Given the length of his absence, he'll likely have to play a handful of games in the minors before returning to the active roster. Weiss has already ruled Murphy out from coming off the 60-day injured list before the end of July, but an early August return could be plausible, per MLB.com.