The Braves have a decision to make.
The Atlanta Braves are hoping to get Sean Murphy back soon. In fact, it seems as if he could return before his initially expected date. According to Mark Bowman, Murphy, who is recovering from a hip injury, will be with High-A Rome on Wednesday and will either participate in a rehab game or live batting practice. The decision has yet to be made.
Murphy may already be on track to play in a rehab game in early April. Barring any setbacks, he will surely return before early May. Braves fans could see him on the field in mid-April if his rehab does not take too long.
There is a chance he will be limited to live batting practice on Wednesday. Still, he is clearly close to participating in a rehab game, whether it ends up being Wednesday or not.
Braves' Catching Situation
Drake Baldwin has emerged as the Braves catcher. He won the National League Rookie of the Year in 2025 and he already has two home runs in 2026. Baldwin is the catcher of the future, so it remains to be seen how the Braves will use Murphy.
Murphy, 31, appeared in 94 total contests last year. He hit just .199/.300/.409 during that span. His numbers have been underwhelming over the past couple of years. Still, Murphy was an All-Star in 2023. The '23 campaign saw Murphy hit .251/.365/.478 to go along with an .844 OPS and 21 home runs.
If he can find that form, the Braves will have another difficult decision to make. Of course, they can utilize the designated hitter role -- which is something they will likely do regardless of how Murphy performs.
Jonah Heim is currently the Braves backup catcher. It remains to be seen if the Braves will be open to carrying three catchers on the roster. Since the DH spot is open, it could be a possibility.
Regardless of his role, Murphy is getting close to returning from his injury. The Braves will certainly not complain about having extra depth given all of the injury trouble the ball club has dealt with already this season.
Updates on Sean Murphy's injury status will continue to be monitored and provided as they are made available. For now, the Braves will carry their 2-1 record into a home matchup against Murphy's former team in the Athletics. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM EST in Atlanta.