Could it be Drake Baldwin time to open the season?
The Braves were enjoying a mostly healthy spring up until Monday morning when it was announced starting catcher Sean Murphy suffered a cracked left rib and will miss 4-6 weeks.
Sean Murphy will miss 4-6 weeks with a cracked left rib. Drake Baldwin will have a chance to begin the season as Atlanta’s starting catcher
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 3, 2025
Murphy was hit in the ribs by a wild 94.6mph sinker during Friday’s exhibition game.
The 4-6 week timeline means Murphy will likely miss the remainder of spring training and could potentially miss the first few weeks of the regular season. Atlanta opens the year on the west coast with seven games at San Diego (4) and Los Angeles (3).
As Bowman notes above, it could be Drake Baldwin filling in as Atlanta’s starting catcher to begin the season. Or, as he said in a follow up tweet, the Braves could also opt to use non-roster invitee Curt Casali to pair with Chadwick Tromp for a couple of games if Murphy’s timeline ends up being on the shorter side.
It’s yet another frustrating injury for Murphy since joining the Braves. The former All-Star suffered a nasty oblique strain on opening day last season and missed two months, never looking comfortable in the batter’s box as he split time with Travis d’Arnaud the rest of the way. In summer 2023, Murphy missed a few games with a minor hamstring strain as well. Fingers crossed the cracked rib recovers quickly and he’s able to join the Braves sooner than later.