Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy

31-Year-Old CatcherC
Atlanta Braves
10-Day IL
Injury Hip
Est. Return 4/24/2026
2026 Stats
AVG
.000
HR
0
RBI
0
R
0
SB
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
After posting a disappointing .636 OPS in just 74 games during 2024, Murphy bounced back early in 2025 with an .822 OPS through the end of May. He struggled to a .631 OPS the rest of the season, however, and finished the campaign in a 4-for-59 slump before being shut down in early September due to a labral tear in his right hip, which he's apparently dealt with throughout the past three years. An expected recovery timeline of four months should allow Murphy to be healthy for the start of 2026, but his availability certainly isn't guaranteed coming off major surgery. Drake Baldwin burst onto the scene to win NL Rookie of the Year in 2025, which should give him a slight edge for the No. 1 catching job, assuming both players are healthy. Murphy should still receive at least semi-regular starts between catcher and designated hitter, though the signing of Mike Yastrzemski should allow Jurickson Profar to see more run at DH. Murphy is only two years removed from posting an .843 OPS during his first year in Atlanta, but his sub-.200 average the last two seasons and the emergence of Baldwin could result in more of a lesser role in 2026. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#384
ADP
League Majors
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'3"
Weight 228
DOB 10/4/1994
Born Peekskill, NY
College Wright State
Drafted 3rd Rd 2016 OAK
Signed a six-year, $73 million contract extension with the Braves in December of 2022. Contract includes $15 million team option for 2029.
Behind plate to begin rehab stint
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
April 15, 2026
Murphy (hip) played four innings at catcher for High-A Rome on Tuesday, going 0-for-2 at the plate.
Analysis
The veteran backstop had to delay the start of his rehab assignment while he attended to a family situation, but Murphy finally got back onto the field Tuesday. He underwent hip surgery in September, and while Murphy will be ramped up slowly as he completes the final stages of his recovery, he's still on track to make his season debut with Atlanta before the end of the month.
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Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+16%
OPS vs LHP
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
+22%
OPS vs LHP
2024
 
 
+4%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .747 186 19 11 28 0 .189 .306 .440
Since 2024vs Right .646 415 34 15 42 0 .200 .287 .359
2026vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Left .805 116 13 7 19 0 .198 .336 .469
2025vs Right .660 221 21 9 26 0 .200 .281 .379
2024vs Left .654 70 6 4 9 0 .175 .257 .397
2024vs Right .629 194 13 6 16 0 .200 .294 .335
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+21%
OPS on Road
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
+27%
OPS on Road
2024
 
 
+14%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024Home .611 295 24 11 32 0 .192 .271 .340
Since 2024Away .742 306 29 15 38 0 .201 .314 .429
2026Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Home .624 165 15 7 21 0 .189 .273 .351
2025Away .794 172 19 9 24 0 .210 .326 .469
2024Home .594 130 9 4 11 0 .197 .269 .325
2024Away .678 134 10 6 14 0 .190 .299 .379
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Prospect Rankings History
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sean Murphy See More
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sean Murphy See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Murphy strained his oblique on Opening Day last season and wound up missing more than eight weeks of action. It turned out to be a harbinger of doom, as the 30-year-old suffered through his worst season with a lowly .636 OPS and sub-.200 batting average. Dating back to the 2023 All-Star break, Murphy is slashing just .181/.294/.323 across 432 plate appearances. He also has a 37 percent hard-hit rate over that stretch, which is down significantly from his career 42.4 percent mark. A spike in his ground ball rate (53.9 percent) also conspired to hold Murphy back in 2024. He's young enough and talented enough to return to being a starting-caliber fantasy catcher in 2025, and Murphy's playing time outlook went up after Atlanta declined Travis d'Arnaud's option and he wound up signing with the Angels.
When Atlanta acquired Murphy, it was coming off a season where he had collected 611 plate appearances for the Athletics. While it was anticipated Murphy wouldn't repeat that with Travis d'Arnaud in the mix, most expected Murphy would gather more than the 438 plate appearances he recorded. Confusing matters more is Murphy's 129 wRC+ was the highest of all catchers with at least as many plate appearances, and Murphy's defense was outstanding. Meanwhile, when healthy, d'Arnaud's offense and defense both displayed signs of decline. Perhaps the extra rest helped Murphy, as he posted career highs in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel percent. Even so, it's curious why Murphy didn't play more. Both backstops will be back with Atlanta this season, so it must be assumed Murphy will continue to lose playing time to his veteran counterpart. However, at some point, Atlanta should realize Murphy is the better option. Paying for more playing time is defensible, just don't take the leap to 2022 levels.
Murphy came into the season known more for his glove work than his bat, yet finished the season as the fifth-best fantasy backstop behind only Realmuto, Varsho, Smith, and Perez. Murphy pulled a Perez-like workload in plate appearances with 612 plate appearances, but Oakland used him at DH 30 times to reduce the wear and tear on his knees. He rewarded them by reducing his strikeout rate and setting career bests in every possible category, even with his first career steal! Murphy could see a decrease in plate appearances following a trade to Atlanta, but it could be a net positive given the lineup upgrade. It has already been reported that Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud will each see time at designated hitter when the other is catching.
While Murphy continued to establish himself as one of the game's top defensive backstops, the 27-year-old endured his fair share of offensive struggles last season. He slashed .216/.306./405 with 17 homers while striking out at a 25.4% clip. Instead of seeing some positive regression from his .278 BABIP in 2020, Murphy saw his average on balls in play drop even further to .257 in 2021. Now is not the time to be overly pessimistic about Murphy's offensive potential going forward, however, especially considering that 2021 was his first full 162-game big-league season. If he can cut down on his strikeouts and have better luck when he does put the ball in play, he may be able to improve across the board offensively in 2022. At the very least, fantasy owners can be confident that his elite defense will keep him among the league leaders in games started behind the plate.
Murphy's 2020 Statcast page paints a confusing picture. His average exit velocity and hard-hit rate were 91st percentile while he toted an 83rd percentile barrel rate. Yet, his expected batting average was a paltry .211, in part due to a 26.4 K% as well as a home park that suppresses hits. It bodes well how hard Murphy stings the ball when he happens to hit it. A 17.4 BB% is also encouraging. Murphy's power metrics are promising as he posted a 22.6% HR/FB and 39.6% flyball rate last season. Don't be fooled by last season's .233 average. With fewer strikeouts and a BABIP more reflective of his batted-ball profile, Murphy has breakthrough potential. All this on top of excellent glove work, a strong arm and improving pitch framing mean he's sure to see bountiful playing time. The floor is shaky, but the ceiling is enticing.
It's hard to start a career much hotter than Murphy did. After missing most of the early part of the season with knee issues, he made his first career start in early September and went on to hit .414 with four homers in his first nine games of the month. He came down to earth after that, grabbing just one hit in 10 games over the rest of the month, but it was enough to make him the starting catcher heading into the playoffs. He will hold onto that job this season and should be a viable option in most formats. The 25-year-old hit .288/.369/.521 across his last two seasons in the minors, and scouts project him to hit for plus power with an average or better hit tool. His defense has a chance to be excellent, so he could rank near the top of the position in games played, with the one big caveat that he has missed significant time with injuries in each of the last two seasons.
Murphy spent the bulk of the 2018 season with Double-A Midland, posting a strong .288/.358/.498 line with eight homers in 68 games. Those numbers represented significant growth from his 53-game stint at the same level the season prior, when he hit just .209/.288/.309. The young backstop did miss a month and a half late in the season after undergoing wrist surgery, but he returned to play eight games at the end of the year, including his first three at the Triple-A level. That's probably the level at which he'll spend the bulk of this year, though he'll have a chance for at least some MLB at-bats, especially given the Athletics' lack of established options at his position. Scouting reports project Murphy as a fairly good defender, which should help him get playing time. He doesn't project for much more than average power or contact.
More Fantasy News
Rehab assignment delayed
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
April 10, 2026
Murphy (hip) will start his rehab assignment Tuesday at High-A Rome after being delayed this week due to a family matter, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
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Rehab assignment on tap
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
April 7, 2026
Murphy (hip) is expected to report to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin a rehab assignment Friday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
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Completes sim game with High-A
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
April 2, 2026
Murphy (hip) caught three innings of a simulated game with High-A Rome on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
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Could play in rehab games this week
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
March 30, 2026
Murphy (hip) could begin a rehab assignment with High-A Rome later this week, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
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Resumes baseball activity
CAtlanta Braves
Hip
March 28, 2026
Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Murphy (hip) has resumed all baseball activities, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Available via trade?
CAtlanta Braves
November 24, 2025
Murphy could be available via trade during the offseason, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Analysis
Atlanta has its catcher of the future in Drake Baldwin, who won the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award, so Murphy could be available for the right package. He underwent surgery for a hip injury in September, but the expectation is that he'll be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. Murphy is signed for three more years and $45 million.
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