The Atlanta Braves will return the services of catcher Sean Murphy and All-Star starter Spencer Strider soon. The Braves’ injuries to start the season have been well documented, but despite the likes of Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Sean Murphy, and Ha-Seong Kim all on the injured list, the Braves have excelled.
Atlanta has yet to lose a series this year and holds a five-game lead over the Miami Marlins in the NL East.
On Sunday, before Atlanta’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, new developments were announced regarding the rehab assignments of Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider.
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Braves’ Sean Murphy, Spencer Strider Set to Continue Rehab Assignments with Triple-A Gwinnett
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 14: Spencer Strider #65 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning in game three of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 14, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Per multiple reports, Spencer Strider and Sean Murphy will join Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday to continue their rehab assignments.
The battery of Strider-Murphy is back together, and one could assume that both players will be re-joining the Braves’ major league club by the Braves’ next home series, which is against Philadelphia next season.
Sean Murphy is recovering from offseason hip surgery, and Spencer Strider is working his way back from an oblique strain in spring training. In one rehab start with High-A Rome, Strider pitched 3.1 scoreless innings.
Both are important pieces for Atlanta. The addition of Murphy likely means that Jonah Heim will potentially be re-assigned to Triple-A in favor of Murphy, but it’s also important to note that Murphy (aside from slight power upside) has struggled in his MLB chances in the last two seasons. It could be due to injury, but Murphy has failed to hit above .200 and play in more than 100 games in each of the past two seasons, so holding onto Heim has some value for the Braves’ roster management plans.
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What Does the Return of Spencer Strider Mean for the Braves’ Rotation?
It will be very interesting to see what the Atlanta Braves do when it’s time to reactivate Spencer Strider. Atlanta holds the best ERA in baseball currently, and the starting rotation has been a revelation in the early going this season. One can assume Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Grant Holmes are locks to stay in the rotation, and that then leaves either Bryce Elder or Martin Perez as the odd man out.
However, Elder is off to a good start, and so is Martin Perez.
Starter Jose Suarez is almost guaranteed to be DFA’d in favor of the Spencer Strider roster move, but it will still be very interesting to see how manager Walt Weiss handles the rotation after Strider’s return.
And as for Sean Murphy, he may pick up a few extra games as the Designated Hitter, considering Drake Baldwin is the clear starter.
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Atlanta Braves Get New Updates on Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider Before Phillies Series Finale