Murphy isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Seattle.
Murphy went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts during his season debut Monday, and Atlanta will keep him on the bench Wednesday while the team looks to ease him back into major-league action following his return from hip surgery. Drake Baldwin will handle catching duties, and Dominic Smith will start as the designated hitter.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Hitless in season debut
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Murphy went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Monday's loss to the Mariners.
Getting the start behind the plate and batting seventh while Drake Baldwin hit leadoff as the designated hitter, Murphy looked rusty in his first action of the season for Atlanta. Murphy missed the first five-plus weeks of the campaign while completing his recovery from hip surgery, but the veteran backstop should see semi-regular duty whenever Baldwin gets deployed at DH. Murphy slugged 16 home runs over 94 games in 2025, but that production came with a .199/.300/.409 slash line.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Activated from IL
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Atlanta activated Murphy (hip) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
Murphy is ready to make his 2026 debut following his recovery from his surgery in September to repair a right hip labral tear. He finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett strongly, going 8-for-24 (.333) with four RBI, two doubles and six runs scored over his last six outings. Murphy should slide back into his primary role as Atlanta's designated hitter while Drake Baldwin continues to handle catcher duties. Jonah Heim was designated for assignment by Atlanta in a corresponding move.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Poised to return early next week
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Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Thursday that Murphy (hip) will likely rejoin the club for its series early next week in Seattle, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Murphy got a late start to the season after having hip surgery last September, but he's nearly ready to break back into the Atlanta lineup. The veteran catcher has yet to get rolling offensively on his rehab assignment, going 5-for-32 with a 2:8 BB:K. He feels healthy, though, and is slated to catch all nine innings in back-to-back games with Triple-A Gwinnett before being activated. Murphy should handle the lion's share of starts at designated hitter for Atlanta and will also be worked in behind the plate as the team's No. 2 catcher.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Staying on rehab assignment for now
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Murphy (hip) will remain on a rehab assignment with High-A Rome this week, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
Atlanta wants Murphy to catch back-to-back nine-inning games before it activates the veteran catcher for his season debut, though it's unclear exactly what the target date is for his return. Murphy -- who is just 3-for-23 with a 1:7 BB:K across his first eight rehab contests -- is projected to serve as Atlanta's primary designated hitter and occasional catcher once he's back on the active roster.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Shifting rehab to Triple-A
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Murphy (hip) is slated to move his rehab assignment from High-A Rome to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Murphy went 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts during his time at Rome, but more important than his results at the plate was the fact that his surgically repaired right hip held up fine while he made three starts at catcher and one at designated hitter. The veteran backstop could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list when Atlanta kicks off a homestand Friday, but the club may want to give Murphy some more time in minors to knock off rust and catch full games on back-to-back days before activating him.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Behind plate to begin rehab stint
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Murphy (hip) played four innings at catcher for High-A Rome on Tuesday, going 0-for-2 at the plate.
The veteran backstop had to delay the start of his rehab assignment while he attended to a family situation, but Murphy finally got back onto the field Tuesday. He underwent hip surgery in September, and while Murphy will be ramped up slowly as he completes the final stages of his recovery, he's still on track to make his season debut with Atlanta before the end of the month.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Rehab assignment on tap
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Murphy (hip) is expected to report to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin a rehab assignment Friday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The veteran backstop has been building up in simulated games in the lower minors and has now been cleared for game action. Murphy was sidelined for all of spring training while recovering from offseason hip surgery, so his rehab assignment is likely to be lengthy before he's cleared for his 2026 MLB debut.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Completes sim game with High-A
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Murphy (hip) caught three innings of a simulated game with High-A Rome on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Murphy has been on the shelf since the beginning of spring training while recovering from right hip surgery, but Wednesday's sim game was a step in the right direction. The catcher will have to work up to nine innings behind the plate and then do so on consecutive days before he'll be considered ready to be activated from the 10-day injured list. The plans for Murphy's upcoming rehab assignment are expected to be announced soon, but he appears to be on track to return at some point in late April or early May.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Officially heads to IL
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Atlanta placed Murphy (hip) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
Murphy's move to the IL was merely a formality after Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported at the onset of spring training that the veteran backstop would likely be out until sometime in May while completing his recovery from September surgery to address a right hip labral tear. Per MLB.com, Murphy was able to take on-field batting practice March 9, but it's not clear if he's taking part in defensive work or full baserunning yet. Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim will open the season as Atlanta's two catchers.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Expected to be out until May
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Murphy (hip) is expected to be sidelined until sometime in May, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Murphy had surgery in September to repair a right hip labral tear and is slated to begin running exercises Tuesday. He should stay back at extended spring training while his team his team heads north ahead of Opening Day, with a rehab assignment likely kicking off in April. Once healthy, Murphy is expected to share catching duties with Drake Baldwin.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Shifted to 60-day injured list
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Atlanta transferred Murphy (hip) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.
The transaction frees up a 40-man roster spot for left-hander Jose Suarez, who was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Nationals. Murphy is done for the season following surgery last week to repair a right hip labral tear.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Out for season with hip labral tear
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Atlanta placed Murphy on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right hip labral tear.
Murphy will undergo surgery Thursday and will need about four months of rehab, which puts him on track to be back to full health for spring training, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Murphy said Monday that the hip injury is something that he's dealt with off and on for the last three years, but it had gotten worse lately to the point that an operation became the recommended course of action. With Murphy out for the season, Drake Baldwin and Marcell Ozuna could see even more playing time for Atlanta down the stretch, and Sandy Leon has been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to serve as Baldwin's top backup behind the plate.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Fades into timeshare
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Murphy is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.
With Atlanta reopening a regular spot in the lineup for Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter over the last couple of weeks, Murphy has faded into more of a timeshare at catcher with Drake Baldwin. The right-handed-hitting Murphy should see the bulk of the starts versus left-handed pitching, but the lefty-hitting Baldwin will likely be Atlanta's top choice to start against righties.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Sitting again Friday
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Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Marlins.
Rookie Drake Baldwin will get another start behind the plate following his first career two-homer game Thursday. With Marcell Ozuna's bat coming alive again from the DH spot, Murphy may be squeezed out of the lineup more often moving forward.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Riding pine Thursday
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Murphy isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Miami.
Murphy will get a day to regroup Thursday after going 1-for-17 to begin the month of August. Drake Baldwin will get the starting nod at catcher while Murphy sits, and Marcell Ozuna will serve as Atlanta's designated hitter.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: On base five times Thursday
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Murphy went 2-for-2 with three walks, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning win over the Reds.
Getting the start behind the plate and batting sixth, Murphy had a perfect night as part of a 13-hit barrage from Atlanta. The veteran catcher got regular playing time in July as both he and rookie Drake Baldwin saw plenty of action at DH, but the fact that Marcell Ozuna remains on the roster after the trade deadline will likely cost Murphy at-bats over the final two months of the campaign. Over 82 plate appearances in July, Murphy slashed .250/.366/.559 with six doubles, five homers, 12 runs and 15 RBI.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Not starting Saturday
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Murphy is not part of Atlanta's starting nine for Saturday's matchup against Texas.
Murphy started each of Atlanta's past four games -- either at catcher or DH -- but is getting a rest Saturday. Drake Baldwin is starting behind the plate, and Marcell Ozuna is getting a start at DH for the first time since Sunday.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Getting breather Sunday
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Murphy isn't in the starting lineup Sunday versus the Yankees.
Murphy had started each of Atlanta's previous six games either at catcher or DH, but he'll get a rest Sunday. He went 8-for-23 with three homers and seven RBI during that six-game stretch, justifying Atlanta's decision to get his bat into the lineup even on days when he didn't catch. Marcell Ozuna, who has been playing through a hip issue, is back in the lineup at DH on Sunday after beginning on the bench three straight days.
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Braves' Sean Murphy: Remains red hot Saturday
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Murphy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Saturday in a 7-6 win against St. Louis.
Murphy clubbed a huge homer in the eighth inning, driving in three runs on a shot to left field to give Atlanta a one-run lead. It was the third long ball in the past two days for the veteran catcher and his seventh home run across his past 11 contests. The power surge has pushed Murphy to 16 homers and 38 RBI on the campaign, numbers more than good enough to nail down a spot atop the catching depth chart on most teams. However, talented rookie Drake Baldwin has 11 homers and 32 RBI along with an .840 OPS (slightly better than Murphy's .837 mark), so it will be interesting to see how the team divvies up playing time between the two moving forward. Murphy has started five of Atlanta's past six contests, though one of those starts came at DH, and Baldwin also logged one start at DH during that span.
