ATLANTA -- Sean Murphy's struggles over the past month were likely influenced by the right hip ailment that will be surgically repaired later this week.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Dr. Thomas Byrd will perform season-ending surgery on Murphy on Thursday in Nashville. An MRI performed Monday morning showed the veteran catcher has a labral tear in his right hip.
“It’s been bothering him the last three years,” Anthopoulos said. “He said he would just grind through it and play through it and it would come and go. But in talking to Dr. Burke today, he was stunned he’d been playing the last three years with a significant tear.”
Murphy will need four months to heal, but the Braves are hoping he’ll come to Spring Training without many restrictions. If all goes well, he could be ready for the start of the 2026 season.
The Braves placed Murphy on the 10-day injured list and recalled veteran catcher Sandy León from Triple-A Gwinnett before Monday night’s game against the Cubs. Drake Baldwin will attempt to strengthen his Rookie of the Year bid, serving as Atlanta’s primary catcher over the remainder of the season.
As long as Murphy is healthy and productive next season, he and Baldwin could share both the catching and designated hitter role. But Murphy is going to have to get back to being the offensive threat he was in 2023, his first season in Atlanta, and again as recently as July, when he had a .925 OPS over 82 plate appearances.
But just when it looked like Murphy was ready to thrive offensively like he did during the first half of his first season with the Braves in 2023, the hip discomfort he felt to varying degrees over the past couple seasons worsened. He produced a .251 OPS over 66 plate appearances going back to the start of August.
“He'd been getting some treatment on his hip, swore to us he was fine,” Anthopoulos said. “Ultimately, we had a conversation with him last night and he said, ‘Look, it has been bothering me. I can get through the season. I was going to come to you guys at the end of the year and ask you for an MRI.’”
Anthopoulos decided it was best to immediately have imaging determine the significance of the ailment.
“He never made excuses, but there were days where he said, ‘I wouldn’t know if I could go, but I was going to fight through it,’” Anthopoulos said. “But, it got to the point that I just couldn’t do it anymore. Even Dr. Byrd acknowledged this was only going to get worse. He’s tried to manage this the last three years. He should be a much better player once this is resolved.”
Murphy has three years and $45 million left on the contract he was given after being acquired from the A’s in Dec. 2002. He has been inconsistent offensively since earning an All-Star selection in 2023. But the rifle-armed backstop remains strong defensively.
“His throwing is as good as it's been,” Anthopoulos said. “His receiving has been phenomenal. I know it's impossible to quantify his game calling, but it’s been spectacular.”