Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) has started to play catch and complete some conditioning drills. While he still may be at least a week away from being cleared to begin swinging a bat, it's a good sign that Murphy is progressing in his recovery from a Grade 1 left oblique strain that he suffered in March 29's game against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. Fantasy managers should not expect the 29-year-old All-Star backstop to be available to the Braves until late April at the earliest, though. Veteran Travis d'Arnaud is filling in as Atlanta's primary catcher in the meantime, but he's slashing only .222/.263/.333 with four doubles, four RBI, and four runs scored in 36 at-bats to begin the season and isn't doing enough right now to warrant rostership outside of deep two-catcher fantasy leagues.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said that catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) hasn't resumed swinging yet after being placed on the injured list with a Grade 1 left-oblique strain. Murphy can't ramp up baseball activities until he feels better and is pain-free. "It's a tough injury," Snitker said. "Even as slight as that one was, it's still a big injury." This news tells fantasy managers not to expect the 29-year-old backstop to return from the IL when he's eligible to return on April 9. Until Murphy returns, Travis d'Arnaud will continue to operate as the team's primary catcher, with Chadwick Tromp backing him up. Murphy was a first-time All-Star in 2023 in his first year in Atlanta but injured his oblique in the first game of the year in 2024. He deserves to be stashed in all fantasy formats.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) is heading to the injured list following Friday's victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Braves' manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Murphy will miss time due to a left oblique strain. This is a tough blow to both fantasy managers and to the Braves roster. The organization should give a timetable on his return shortly, but he'll likely miss close to a month of action. In the meantime, Travis d'Arnaud figures to be the primary catcher in Atlanta. He's worth a look in fantasy formats for managers seeking help at the catcher spot. Chadwick Tromp figures to be recalled as backup to d'Arnaud.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) was pulled from Friday's season opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies with left-oblique tightness. Murphy grabbed his side after swinging and missing at a Matt Strahm pitch in the seventh inning and eventually walked off the field with a trainer. We should know more on Murphy's injury after the game, but all we can say is it didn't look good. Fantasy managers should brace for the 29-year-old backstop to miss some time and potentially land on the injured list. Before leaving the contest early, Murphy was hitless in his three at-bats with one strikeout. He was replaced by veteran Travis d'Arnaud, who would take over the primary catching duties for the Braves if Murphy is forced to miss extended time.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League matchup versus the Toronto Blue Jays. It was Murphy's first homer of the spring. The 29-year-old is now hitting .292 this spring and has also drove in six runs over 24 at-bats. Coming off a 21-home run season in 2023, Murphy remains a top-fove option behind the dish in 2024. It also helps that he will be part of one of the best lineups in the league in Atlanta. Catcher is always a tricky position for fantasy managers, but Murphy is as safe as they come for the backstop position.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is set to return to action on Friday after dealing with a stomach bug over the last few days. The 29-year-old was off to a solid start to Grapefruit League action, going 2-for-6 with a pair of RBI across a tiny six-plate-appearance sample size. It was a tale of two seasons for Murphy at the plate in the 2023 season, his first with the Braves following a trade from the Oakland A's. Murphy hit .306 with 17 home runs and a massive .999 OPS in the first half of the season but limped to a minuscule .159 average with just four HR and a .585 OPS following the All-Star break. Nonetheless, he was still one of the better catchers in fantasy baseball and remains a high-upside play in what will be just his fourth full season in the majors in 2024.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is batting 2-for-6 with two RBI to this point in Grapefruit League action. The 29-year-old is coming off another solid season, slashing .251/.365/.478 with 21 home runs, 65 runs scored, and 68 RBI in 438 plate appearances. The only issue with Murphy's potential fantasy value is his relative lack of playing time. Murphy lost out on time behind the plate last season to Travis d'Arnaud, who currently has one more at-bat than Murphy this spring. It is still early and the team is likely going to manage their catchers' workloads to a degree, but the even playing time does not inspire confidence that Murphy may be able to gain significantly more playing time in 2024.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will return to the starting lineup Thursday night when his club looks to stave off elimination in Game 4 of their NLDS series versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The 29-year-old has participated in just one postseason contest thus far, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Game 1 of this NLDS series against the Phillies. Murphy was baseball's best catcher in the season's first half before disaster struck following the All-Star break. The former A's backstop limped to a .159 average and .585 OPS across 168 plate appearances in the season's second half, losing his starting gig to veteran Travis d'Arnaud in the process. He will hit sixth and catch right-hander Spencer Strider Thursday in Philadelphia,

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is not in the club's starting lineup Thursday night against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Jake Irvin. The backstop went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in Wednesday night's extra-innings loss and will give way to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate on Thursday in Washington. While his bat has been sensational from an overall standpoint in his first season in Atlanta, Murphy has limped to a .172 average with a .596 OPS since the All-Star break and has not hit a home run since Aug. 13. Nonetheless, he has still put forth a .260 average with 20 home runs and an .850 OPS across 103 appearances while giving the Braves elite defense behind the plate this season.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will start Friday's contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the bench. Travis d'Arnaud will catch left-hander Max Fried and hit sixth against Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias. Murphy is having a strong first season in Atlanta with a .271/.379/.520 slash line, an .899 OPS, 20 home runs, 67 RBI and 59 runs scored in 325 at-bats, but the Braves have been resting him often in the second half of the season for what they hope will be another deep postseason run. Less frequent playing time has taken its toll, too, as he's hitting only .183 (17-for-93) with three homers, four doubles, 12 RBI and 17 runs scored in 27 games (26 starts) since the All-Star break. d'Arnaud is hitting .286 (12-for-42) with one of his nine homers against lefties this season.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The right-handed slugger will receive a rest day after going 1-for-3 with an RBI during their last game. This appears to be a routine rest day for the 28-year-old backstop. In his absence, Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Logan Webb. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly with Murphy on the bench.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday night's contest versus the New York Mets and right-hander Tylor Megill. The all-world catcher had a monster first half for the Braves after an off-season trade from the Oakland A's but has fallen on hard times at the plate since the All-Star break. The 28-year-old sports a .160/.315/.293 slash line in the season's second half, good for a .608 OPS which is a stark contrast to his eye-popping .999 first-half OPS. Nonetheless, his first-half production at the plate combined with his elite defense have combined to produce a 4.2 fWAR that sits first among big-league catchers with a minimum of 350 plate appearances. Veteran Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and hit seventh Tuesday in Atlanta.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is taking a regular day of rest from catching duties on Wednesday against the visiting New York Yankees. Travis d'Arnaud is catching right-hander Charlie Morton and hitting seventh in the batting order. The Braves continue to give Murphy plenty of rest as they look to keep him fresh for what they hope will be another long playoff run. The 28-year-old former Oakland Athletics catcher is having a fine first season in Atlanta, although he's slowed down considerably in the second half, hitting just .169 (11-for-65) with three homers, a double, nine RBI, 18 strikeouts and 12 runs scored in 19 games (18 starts) since the All-Star break. But whenever Murphy is in the lineup, he's a starting option for fantasy managers in single-catcher leagues.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is taking the day off on Monday against the visiting New York Yankees. Travis d'Arnaud is doing the catching and will bat fifth in the order against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Murphy continues to split playing time behind the dish with d'Arnaud in his first season in Atlanta. The former Oakland A's backstop has been great in his first year in Atlanta in 2023, hitting .277 (82-for-296) with 20 home runs, 18 doubles, 64 RBI and 53 runs scored in 346 plate appearances over 85 games. Murphy has homered in each of his last two games and has gone 7-for-26 (.269) with three home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored in eight games (seven starts) so far in the month of August.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will get a day of rest on Friday as the team takes on the New York Mets on the road. Travis d'Arnaud will be behind the dish catching right-hander Charlie Morton while batting fifth against Mets right-hander Tylor Megill. It's a normal day of rest for Murphy as the Braves look to keep him fresh for a long playoff run. The 28-year-old backstop has really impressed in his first season in Atlanta, but he's gone cold so far in the second half of the season. Since the All-Star break, he's hitting .143 (8-for-56) with one homer, a double, six RBI, 15 strikeouts and seven runs scored in 16 games (15 starts). Murphy may be breaking out of the funk, though, as he's currently in the midst of a modest four-game hitting streak, including his first home run since July 8.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy won't start the game for the Braves on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Travis d'Arnaud is catching right-hander Yonny Chirinos and will hit fifth in the batting order against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller. The Braves continue to keep the 28-year-old fresh behind the plate as he splits playing time with d'Arnaud. Murphy has been great for the Braves offensively in his first year with the team, as he's batting .275/.375/.528 with a .903 OPS, 18 home runs, 18 doubles, 60 RBI and 49 runs scored in 331 plate appearances and 81 games. The first-time All-Star is a must-start in fantasy lineups when he's on the field. Murphy has been cold since the All-Star break, though, going 7-for-52 (.135) with only one homer, a double, five RBI and seven runs scored in 14 starts.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will return to the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Patrick Sandoval. Murphy gave way to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate for Monday's series opener with the Angels but will return on Tuesday after a brief hiatus, hitting fifth and catching Braves ace Spencer Strider. Of course, it's been a massive season for the 28-year-old who is hitting .278 with 17 home runs and a .909 OPS across 77 appearances on the season while providing elite defense behind the plate. However, Murphy has logged just four hits over his last 10 games spanning 44 trips to the plate as he looks to get straightened out Tuesday in Atlanta.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy isn't in the team's starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Travis d'Arnaud will catch right-hander Charlie Morton and will bat fifth in the lineup against Angels right-hander Griffin Canning. Murphy also received Saturday's game off amidst a cold streak to begin the second half of the season. The 28-year-old has been one of the most valuable fantasy backstops in his first year in Atlanta, but he's gone just 4-for-38 (.105) with no homers, a double, three RBI and four runs scored in 10 games since the All-Star break to drop his season line to .278/.376/.533 with a .909 OPS, 17 long balls, 58 RBI and 46 runs scored.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is not in the starting lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the first half of the season. Murphy is getting a rest day, but not because he hasn't been producing at the plate. The 28-year-old backstop is off to a great start in July, going 8-for-18 (.444) in six games while homering in each of his last three contests. Murphy has been amazing for the Braves and fantasy managers so far in his first season in Atlanta, as he's slashing .306/.400/.599 with a .999 OPS, 17 long balls, 17 doubles, 55 RBI and 42 runs scored in 270 trips to the plate over 67 games. He's a must-start anytime he's on the field in fantasy. Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching on Sunday and hit fifth in the lineup against Rays right-hander Zach Eflin.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy logged four hits in an 8-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday. The Braves had 19 hits and one of the hits was Murphy's 15th home run of the season. Amongst his colleagues, he's tied first with Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez in homers and second with Texas Rangers backstop Jonah Heim with 50 RBI. The 28-year-old carries a .305 batting average across 226 plate appearances this season.