Sean Murphy
YEARTEAMGABRHitsRBIDTHRBBSOSBCSEAVGOBPSLUG
2021Lightning1113475871528120721000200.2050.3410.406
2022Lightning11938347725620019391061100.1880.2700.389
2023Lightning145495511145539022341110100.2300.3060.442
2024Lightning1083444271441912039750110.2060.3090.442
2025Lightning15454610015140000.1330.2200.200
MLB Player Data
DateNewsComment
Jun 30 2025Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His second-inning shot off Ranger Suarez gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead, but the team's bats were quiet the rest of the afternoon. Murphy has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 11 homers on the season as he continues to split reps with rookie Drake Baldwin. Neither backstop made a consistent impact in June however -- Murphy slashed .217/.283/.391 in 53 plate appearances on the month, while Baldwin sported a .200/.323/.418 line in 65 PAs.
Jun 28 2025Murphy went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double in Saturday's 6-1 win over Philadelphia. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had gone 14 games without a homer, batting just .190 (8-for-42) in that span. His long ball in the seventh inning gave Atlanta some breathing room after Philadelphia had pulled within a run in the sixth. Murphy is up to 10 homers on the year, matching his 72-game total from last year. He's added 26 RBI, 16 runs scored, five doubles and a .225/.319/.450 slash line across 49 contests in 2025 while sharing the catching duties with Drake Baldwin.
Jun 18 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started both of Atlanta's last two games, marking the first time he's been behind the dish for consecutive contests since May 27 and 29. The veteran backstop has produced a .487 OPS thus far in June, so he doesn't seem to have built much momentum toward overtaking Drake Baldwin as Atlanta's No. 1 catcher. Though Baldwin will get the start Wednesday, he's also started to slow down at the dish following a hot start to the season, so the playing time between him and Murphy could be distributed in fairly equitable fashion for the foreseeable future.
May 30 2025Murphy went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two walks in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy got Atlanta on the board in the sixth inning with an RBI single before cutting the deficit to 4-3 with a 412-foot solo blast off Matt Strahm in the eighth, his ninth homer this season. It was a much-needed effort from the 30-year-old catcher, who'd gone just 1-for-13 over his previous five games while splitting catching duties with Drake Baldwin. Overall, Murphy's slashing .228/.333/.500 with 20 RBI and 14 runs scored across 132 plate appearances this season.
May 22 2025Murphy is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy looks to have fallen into the short side of a platoon at catcher with rookie Drake Baldwin, who will make a fifth straight start against a right-hander Thursday in Trevor Williams. On the flip side, seven of Murphy's last eight starts have come against left-handed pitching.
May 21 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy owns an .817 OPS for the season, but with rookie Drake Baldwin sporting an even hotter bat (.983 OPS), the playing time behind the dish has begun to tilt in the youngster's favor. The two backstops seem to be moving into a loose platoon behind the dish, as the right-handed-hitting Murphy has made each of his last three starts against left-handed pitching but now finds himself out of the lineup for a fifth straight matchup with a righty (Trevor Williams).
May 18 2025Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Boston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is sitting for a second straight game while the red-hot Drake Baldwin gets another start at catcher. Prior to Sunday, the pair had alternated starts behind the plate for each of Atlanta's previous eight contests. Baldwin has made it difficult for manager Brian Snitker to take his bat out of the lineup -- through 11 games in May, the rookie catcher is batting .556 (15-for-27) with three homers and eight RBI.
May 17 2025Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta seems to have fallen into a pattern of alternating between Murphy and Drake Baldwin behind the plate, and Saturday will mark the latter's turn to start after the former went 2-for-4 with a home run Friday.
May 15 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat for the day game after he went 0-for-3 while catching eight innings of Wednesday's 5-4 loss. Drake Baldwin will fill in for Murphy behind the dish Thursday, and manager Brian Snitker suggested Tuesday that the rookie backstop could work his way into a timeshare behind the dish, per David O'Brien of The Athletic. Murphy has produced a strong .819 OPS over 27 games this season, but Baldwin has performed even better over a similar sample, slashing .338/.390/.563 across 77 plate appearances.
May 13 2025Murphy is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started at catcher in the series opener Monday but will get a breather in this one. Drake Baldwin is behind the plate and batting fifth for Atlanta.
May 11 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Drake Baldwin will get the nod behind the plate while Murphy rests for the day game. Since the beginning of May, Murphy has gone 4-for-26 with a 3:10 BB:K. His ongoing slump could compel Atlanta manager Brian Snitker to turn the catcher spot into more of a timeshare between Murphy and Baldwin, who owns an .808 OPS on the season.
May 7 2025Murphy is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Reds. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: For a sixth series in a row, Murphy will have started the first two games before giving way to Drake Baldwin in the third contest. Baldwin will step in behind the plate and bat eighth Wednesday.
May 4 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's likely a standard rest day for Murphy after he went 0-for-9 with three strikeouts across the first two games of the series versus Los Angeles. Drake Baldwin will take over behind the plate to catch for Bryce Elder on Sunday.
Apr 30 2025Murphy is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Colorado. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After catching each of the first two games of the series, Murphy will begin Wednesday's finale on the bench. Drake Baldwin is behind the dish and batting seventh as Atlanta goes for the sweep.
Apr 21 2025Murphy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 7-6 win against the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was hitless until the eighth inning, when he pounded a three-run homer to left field to give Atlanta a 7-3 lead. The long ball was the fifth of the season for the veteran catcher in just 11 games, and he now has 11 RBI in what was been a productive beginning to 2025 after Murphy began the campaign on the injured list due to an injury. He's still batting a mediocre .205, but the power output and run production has kept Murphy atop Atlanta's catcher depth chart despite the recent offensive upswing of rookie Drake Baldwin.
Apr 20 2025Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has just one hit with seven strikeouts in his past 16 plate appearances, and he'll receive Sunday off after a run of seven straight starts. Drake Baldwin will take over behind the plate for Atlanta in the series finale versus Minnesota.
Apr 15 2025Murphy went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's win over the Blue Jays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop took Easton Lucas deep in the first inning, the first of three Atlanta homers off the southpaw. Murphy is very quickly erasing memories of his rough 2024 campaign -- after homering 10 times in 72 contests last year, he's already launched four long balls in his first six games of 2025.
Apr 12 2025Murphy went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and a walk in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy got Atlanta on the board with a solo home run in the seventh inning and then tied things up with another blast in the eighth. Since making his season debut Tuesday, the 30-year-old has gone 5-for-15 with three long balls, six RBI and four runs scored across 18 plate appearances. It's a small sample, but early signs point to a potential bounce-back campaign if he can remain healthy.
Apr 11 2025Murphy is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a chance to rest his legs after making three consecutive starts behind the plate following his return from the injured list. He's 3-for-11 with a home run, four RBI, two runs scored and five strikeouts against one walk so far this season. Rookie Drake Baldwin is set to return to the lineup to catch for Bryce Elder in the series opener in Tampa Bay.
Apr 8 2025Murphy went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the season on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured rib, but he was activated from the IL on Sunday and made his 2025 debut Tuesday. He didn't show any rust in his first at-bat, cranking a three-run homer off Zack Wheeler to left field in the second inning, and Murphy drove in a fourth run on an RBI single in the sixth frame to reduce Atlanta's deficit to one. Murphy is looking to improve on his 2024 campaign, which he finished with a slash line of .193/.284/.352 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI across 264 plate appearances.
Apr 6 2025Atlanta reinstated Murphy (rib) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 30-year-old was expected to finish up his rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday before likely rejoining Atlanta on Tuesday, but the club elected to activated him early after Sunday's game against the Marlins was postponed. Murphy will take over as the club's primary backstop, and prospect Drake Baldwin is set to fill the backup job after Chadwick Tromp was designated for assignment.
Apr 5 2025Murphy (ribs) is slated to play nine innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday and could be activated from the injured list Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy kicked off a rehab stint with Gwinnett on March 31 and has gone 2-for-10 with a homer and two RBI through three games. If he's able to complete Sunday's game without any setbacks, the veteran catcher could be back behind the plate for Atlanta's series opener versus the Phillies on Tuesday. Prospect Drake Baldwin has been starting at catcher in Murphy's absence, but he has struggled to a .291 OPS through 25 plate appearances and may soon head back to the minors.
Apr 4 2025Murphy (rib) is starting at catcher Friday for Triple-A Gwinnett and is expected to be activated from the 10-day IL by Atlanta before the end of this weekend's series versus Miami, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 30-year-old began his rehab assignment with Gwinnett on Tuesday and will catch for Spencer Strider (elbow) in his own rehab start Friday. Murph suffered the rib fracture in early March, but it appears he'll only end up missing the first week of the regular season. Prospect Drake Baldwin has been filling in as Atlanta's primary backstop but could soon be headed back to Triple-A.
Mar 31 2025Murphy (rib) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Previous reports suggested that Murphy would likely start his rehab assignment at High-A Rome on Friday, but Atlanta has pushed him up a few days. Murphy will be eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list Friday and would seem to have a shot to return then, although the club has not revealed a target date for their starting catcher. Drake Baldwin has been serving as the club's primary backstop to begin the season with Murphy out.
Mar 29 2025Murphy (ribs) will likely begin a rehab assignment at High-A Rome on Friday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy stayed back at Atlanta's spring training complex in Florida to continue rehabbing his fractured rib, and he's worked up to catching five innings in minor-league games. It's unclear how many reps the team would like the 30-year-old backstop to get during his rehab assignment, but he seems to still be on track for a return to Atlanta around mid-April.
Mar 25 2025Atlanta placed Murphy (ribs) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was ruled out 4-to-6 week after suffering a fractured rib on his left side in early March, so the move to the IL is procedural. With the 30-year-old sidelined for the start of the season, prospect Drake Baldwin recently had his contract selected and is expected to begin the campaign as Atlanta's primary catcher.
Mar 3 2025Murphy will be out for 4-to-6 weeks after being diagnosed Monday with a fractured rib on his left side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch Friday, and he will need a stint on the injured list to begin the season. The door is now open for top prospect Drake Baldwin to begin the season as Atlanta's starting catcher. However, Baldwin is not on the 40-man roster, so the club could go with Chadwick Tromp and one of Sandy Leon or Curt Casali if they're confident Murphy's absence will be relatively brief.
Feb 19 2025Murphy believes the oblique injury he suffered Opening Day last season prevented him from ever getting comfortable with his swing, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "It was a combination of a bunch of things," Murphy said this week. "Missing that much time at the beginning, that's not how I wanted to begin the season. I'm not sure my swing ever felt correct coming off the oblique, not that I was in any pain or hurt. Some things just fell off, and I never caught up and found a way to adjust." ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 30-year-old backstop roared out to an .843 OPS with 21 homers and 68 RBI -- all career highs -- over 108 games in his first season for Atlanta in 2023, but Murphy's production cratered in 2024 through 72 contests after he returned from the oblique strain. The team seems confident that the poor performance was an aberration, however, as Travis d'Arnaud was allowed to leave in free agency, leaving only Chadwick Tromp, Curt Casali and prospect Drake Baldwin competing for the backup job in camp. Murphy still has four more seasons left on the six-year, $73 million contract he signed in 2022, with Atlanta holding a $15 million club option for 2029, so he will be given every chance to regain his previous offensive form.
Sep 30 2024Murphy is absent from the lineup in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have alternated starts at catcher since d'Arnaud returned from paternity leave in mid-September. It will be d'Arnaud doing the catching and batting seventh in the first game Monday, with Murphy likely to get the nod for the second contest.
Sep 27 2024Murphy went 1-for-3 with two-run homer in Friday's 3-0 victory over Kansas City. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Atlanta backstop opened the game's scoring with a 372-foot, two-run shot off Brady Singer in the fourth inning, marking just his fourth hit in September out of 43 plate appearances. This is the fourth time Murphy has reached double-digit homers in his six-year career. Overall, the 29-year-old is now slashing .197/.284/.360 with 18 runs scored and 25 RBI in 257 plate appearances across 70 games.
Sep 15 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started behind the plate in five of the past six games, but he'll likely be in store for a role reduction after Travis d'Arnaud (personal) returned from the paternity list Thursday. Despite getting more consistent at-bats of late, Murphy is still hitting just .080 in September and a career-worst .203 on the season.
Sep 1 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has now started just three times in nine games and may be moving into the shorter side of a timeshare at catcher with Travis d'Arnaud. The 29-year-old backstop has been a major disappointment in the second season of a six-year, $73 million contract, having submitted a career-low .685 OPS through 210 plate appearances for Atlanta.
Aug 31 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will give way behind the plate to Travis d'Arnaud after going 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and two walks during Friday's win.
Aug 29 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Thursday against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has gone 3-for-18 with eight strikeouts over his last five games, and he'll now take a seat Thursday while Travis d'Arnaud catches for Charlie Morton and bats fifth.
Aug 27 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's the second straight day and third time in Atlanta's past four games that Muphy will be on the bench. The 29-year-old has a .633 OPS in August and will cede catching duties to Travis d'Arnaud on Tuesday.
Aug 26 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud returned to the lineup Saturday after missing about a week of action with a wrist injury, so Murphy appears set to move back into more a timeshare at catcher after he had started behind the plate in six of the past seven contests. Murphy has posted a .633 OPS in August, roughly in line with his disappointing .665 mark for the season.
Aug 24 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has gone 4-for-23 with nine strikeouts over his last seven games. He'll get a breather Saturday as Travis d'Arnaud makes his return from a wrist injury that caused him to sit out for a week.
Aug 17 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have been alternating starts behind the plate recently and after Murphy started Friday, it'll be d'Arnaud's turn to catch Saturday. Murphy missed the first two months of the season with a strained oblique but has logged a .228/.315/.399 slash line with seven home runs in 178 plate appearances since returning.
Aug 15 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat for the series finale after he caught all nine innings of Wednesday's 13-2 win while going 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Travis d'Arnaud will replace Murphy behind the plate and bat fifth.
Aug 13 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat Tuesday after going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts during Monday's series opener. Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for right-hander Charlie Morton instead and bat fifth.
Aug 11 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first two games of the series at Coors Field and will sit for Sunday's matinee. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate to catch rookie righty Spencer Schwellenbach.
Aug 8 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat for the Thursday afternoon contest after he caught all nine innings of Wednesday night's 8-5 loss while going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Travis d'Arnaud will settle in behind the dish for Atlanta in the series finale.
Aug 6 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has continued to split time behind the plate with Travis d'Arnaud, and he'll yield to d'Arnaud for Tuesday's series opener. Murphy is 5-for-16 with a solo homer in his last five games.
Jul 31 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is getting a breather for Wednesday's matinee after he had started behind the plate both of the past two days. Travis d'Arnaud will spell Murphy at catcher, forming a battery with starting pitcher Chris Sale.
Jul 29 2024Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-3 loss to Milwaukee. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's playing time has been dropping in the second half -- he's gone just 3-for-15 with five walks over five games since the All-Star break. The catcher's homer came in garbage time Monday. He's up to six long balls, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, three doubles and a .210/.295/.379 slash line through 38 contests this season. Until Murphy finds more consistency at the plate, Travis d'Arnaud will continue to eat into his playing time.
Jul 28 2024Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will sit Sunday for the second time in three games. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Mets. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind home plate and bat fifth.
Jul 26 2024Murphy is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud has started each of the first two games of the series against the Mets and has made four starts to Murphy's three since the All-Star break. Murphy had two hits in his last start Wednesday, but before that he had been hitless across his last five contests.
Jul 25 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather after going 2-for-4 during Wednesday's game against the Reds, allowing Travis d'Arnaud to catch for lefty Chris Sale during Thursday's series opener.
Jul 23 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is hitless in his last 13 at-bats but has more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) during that stretch. Travis d'Arnaud will catch and bat cleanup Tuesday.
Jul 21 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader and will sit Sunday while in the midst of a 3-for-23 slump. Travis d'Arnaud will work behind the plate and bat sixth in the series finale.
Jul 20 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate for the first game of Saturday's twin bill, making Murphy the likely choice to start at catcher during the nightcap.
Jul 19 2024Murphy is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy sat out the final game before the All-Star break and will also begin the first contest after the break on the bench. Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for Spencer Schwellenbach.
Jul 14 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy caught eight innings and went 0-for-4 in Atlanta's 4-0 loss Saturday evening, so he'll be getting some routine maintenance as the two teams close out their series with a day game. Travis d'Arnaud steps in behind the plate as Murphy's replacement in the starting nine Sunday.
Jul 12 2024Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Padres. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started in three of four games against the Diamondbacks this past week, going 3-for-11 with one walk, one home run and three RBI. He'll begin Friday's contest in the dugout while Travis d'Arnaud starts behind the plate and bats eighth against Padres right-hander Matt Waldron.
Jul 8 2024Murphy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 5-4 extra-innings win against the Diamondbacks on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta was down to its last out when Murphy tied the score with his two-run blast off Arizona closer Paul Sewald in the top of the ninth inning. The clutch long ball was Murphy's second over his past four games, though he has only one other hit during that stretch. The veteran backstop went deep a career-high 21 times last season and has five homers through 29 contests during the current campaign.
Jul 7 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was on the bench for Friday's series opener and will also sit for Sunday's finale after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday's contest. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate to catch for righty Reynaldo Lopez.
Jul 5 2024Murphy is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for Max Fried in the series opener. Murphy has a 1.050 OPS over his last 12 games and would seem to be a good bet to be in the lineup Saturday and Sunday.
Jul 3 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After making back-to-back starts behind the dish, Murphy will give way to Travis d'Arnaud on Wednesday. Murphy swatted a solo home run in Tuesday's series opener against San Francisco.
Jun 29 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has gone just 3-for-17 with three strikeouts and four walks over his last six games, and he'll get a day to regroup Saturday as Atlanta faces Paul Skenes and the Pirates. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate instead and bat sixth.
Jun 25 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After catching back-to-back games, Murphy will yield to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate Tuesday. Murphy owns a .618 OPS with a 27.4 percent strikeout rate across 73 plate appearances.
Jun 19 2024Murphy went 4-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers and three total runs scored in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy extended Atlanta's lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a two-run blast off Tarik Skubal before cranking a second two-run homer in the fifth off Mason Englert. It's the first multi-hit game of the year for Murphy, who was batting just .135 with a lone homer through his first 15 games this season. Perhaps Wednesday's outburst is a sign of things to come for the 29-year-old backstop -- Murphy posted an .843 OPS with 21 homers across 438 plate appearances last year.
Jun 18 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has struggled after missing the first two months of the season with an oblique injury, owning a .408 OPS and a 28.6 percent strikeout rate across 56 plate appearances with Atlanta. As Murphy works through the slow start, Atlanta will turn to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate Tuesday for the fourth time in nine games.
Jun 16 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will rest for the series finale after he started behind the plate Friday and Saturday while going 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored. Travis d'Arnaud will garner the start at catcher Sunday.
Jun 13 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather for Thursday's matinee after he caught eight innings of Atlanta's 4-2 loss Wednesday night while going hitless across four at-bats. Travis d'Arnaud will spell Murphy behind the plate.
Jun 9 2024Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the previous three games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale in Washington. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate to catch for Hurston Waldrep in his MLB debut.
Jun 6 2024Murphy (elbow) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had to depart Tuesday's game against the Red Sox after being struck on the right elbow by a pitch and was then held out of action Wednesday. It will be just a one-game absence for Atlanta's top catcher, though, as he and his teammates take on Mitchell Parker and the Nationals on Thursday.
Jun 5 2024Murphy (elbow) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Boston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy departed Tuesday's 8-3 win after being struck on the right elbow by a pitch. X-rays came back negative, and Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the swelling on the elbow has mostly subsided. Murphy could be ready to go as soon as Thursday, but Travis d'Arnaud will fill in at catcher for Atlanta on Wednesday.
Jun 4 2024Initial X-rays on Murphy's right elbow came back negative after he was hit by a pitch during Tuesday's win over the Red Sox, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's elbow swelled up significantly immediately following the HBP, though he appears to have escaped the incident without suffering any structural damage. The catcher also said after Tuesday's game that he is confident he'll be able to avoid the injured list and get back to playing within a few days. Travis d'Arnaud would start behind the plate for any games that Murphy may have to miss.
Jun 1 2024Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against Oakland. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has gone just 2-for-13 since returning from the injured list, so he'll get a chance to regroup Saturday while Travis d'Arnaud starts behind the dish, batting sixth.
May 29 2024Murphy is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first two games of the series against the Nationals in his return from the injured list, going 2-for-7 with an RBI. He will give way to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate on Wednesday.
May 28 2024Murphy went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Monday's loss to the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Seeing his first MLB action since Opening Day, Murphy hit fifth in the order and brought home Marcell Ozuna with a groundout in the seventh inning. With Ronald Acuna (knee) lost for the season, Atlanta needs Murphy to quickly regain the form that saw him set career highs with 21 homers and an .843 OPS in 2023.
May 27 2024Atlanta activated Murphy (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy missed more than eight weeks with a Grade 1 left oblique strain but is finally ready to rejoin Atlanta's lineup. He looked sharp during a four-game rehab stint with Triple-A Gwinnett, batting .278 with two home runs. Murphy will probably be eased back into primary catcher duties for Atlanta, as the club is keeping Chadwick Tromp around as a third catcher behind Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud for the time being. He is starting Monday's game, batting fifth against Mitchell Parker and the Nationals.
May 24 2024Murphy (oblique) went 2-for-6 with a double, a home run and two RBI for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The rehabbing catcher got the start at designated hitter and launched a solo shot off Valente Bellozo in the fourth inning, Murphy's second home run in two games for Gwinnett. Atlanta may want to make sure he's ready for regular defensive duties before activating him from the IL, but based on how he's looked at the plate, the 29-year-old should be back with the major-league team at some point this weekend.
May 22 2024Murphy (oblique) played seven innings at catcher and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run Tuesday in his first rehab game for Triple-A Gwinnett. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: In his first game since suffering a Grade 1 left oblique strain in his season debut with Atlanta on March 29, Murphy had been scheduled to catch just four innings, but he ended up staying behind the dish longer than expected. The 29-year-old backstop didn't exhibit any rust with the bat or in the field Tuesday, as he threw out the only baserunner that attempt to steal off of him and provided the highlight of the night with a 449-foot blast off the batter's eye in center field in his first at-bat. According to David O'Brien of The Athletic, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said that Murphy will be off Wednesday before starting behind the plate again for Gwinnett on Thursday. Snitker added that Murphy is also expected to get another start for Gwinnett as a designated hitter, so Atlanta is seemingly planning on having Murphy remain on assignment through at least Friday before bringing him back from the 10-day injured list.
May 17 2024Manager Brian Snitker said Murphy (oblique) will likely begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has been on the injured list since Opening Day, but he has now been cleared to test his strained left oblique in a competitive environment. Considering the 29-year-old backstop has missed nearly two months, he will likely require an extended stay in the minors, but he should reclaim his role as Atlanta's everyday catcher once he returns.
May 16 2024Murphy (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher has been out since Opening Day after suffering an oblique strain, and Atlanta has taken things slowly with him so far. Murphy now appears to be in the final stages of his recovery, but given the amount of time he's missed, his rehab assignment could last more than just a few days. Travis d'Arnaud will continue handling catching duties until Murphy returns, backed up by Chadwick Tromp.
May 8 2024Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that Murphy (oblique) has progressed to hitting in the batting cage, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's recovery from a Grade 1 left oblique strain has inched along at a snail's pace, but he's finally making noteworthy progress. Given that he's already missed nearly six weeks of action, he will no doubt require a handful of minor-league rehab games before returning from the 10-day injured list.
May 3 2024Murphy (oblique) began hitting off the tee during Atlanta's most recent series against Seattle earlier this week, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's the first time Murphy has swung the bat since landing on the 10-day IL on March 30 with a Grade 1 left oblique strain. Prior to the series in Seattle, Murphy was limited to light throwing and catching work in the bullpen. The 29-year-old has taken a positive step in his program, but he still has a ways to go before starting a rehab assignment.
Apr 24 2024Murphy (oblique) was able to catch bullpen sessions Tuesday and Wednesday but has yet to resume swinging a bat, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's ability to throw at full strength while donning his full catching equipment represents a positive step forward in his recovery from a Grade 1 left oblique strain, but until he starts swinging the bat again, his return from the 10-day injured list shouldn't be viewed as imminent. The backstop has been on the shelf since March 30 with the injury.
Apr 16 2024Murphy (oblique) has started light throwing but has yet to be cleared to run or swing a bat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's progress from a Grade 1 left oblique strain has been slow, but he's starting to ramp up his activity level a bit. He is not close to beginning a rehab assignment, however, so a return before the end April might not happen. Travis d'Arnaud will continue to be Atlanta's primary catcher while Murphy recuperates.
Apr 5 2024Murphy (oblique) has yet to resume swinging a bat, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is a week removed from suffering a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is not feeling well enough yet to be cleared to swing. He is eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list on April 9, but it would appear highly unlikely that he will be ready by then. Travis d'Arnaud is filling in at catcher for Atlanta while Murphy is on the shelf.
Mar 30 2024Murphy has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy landed on the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday's game with an injury suffered in Friday's opener, but an MRI has revealed a best-case scenario. He will be eligible for activation April 9, and while Murphy might not be ready at that time, it shouldn't be a lengthy absence. Travis d'Arnaud will be Atlanta's regular catcher while Murphy is out.
Mar 29 2024Atlanta will place Murphy on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy injured his oblique on a swing during Friday's game against Philadelphia, and it will officially cost him at least the next 10 days. Travis d'Arnaud will take over duties as Atlanta's primary catcher while Murphy is out, and the team will likely promote Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett to act as the backup.
Mar 21 2024Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher took Bowden Francis deep in the sixth inning for his first long ball of the spring. Murphy has been making good contact in camp despite the lack of power, batting .292 (7-for-24) through nine Grapefruit League games with a 0:3 BB:K, and he seems just about ready for Opening Day.
Mar 18 2024Murphy went 1-for-3 in Sunday's split-squad game against the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher is batting .286 (6-for-21) this spring, but he has just one double and zero homers among those hits. Power production isn't expected to be an issue for Murphy in 2024 after he set career highs with 21 home runs and 68 RBI last season in his first campaign with Atlanta.
Mar 8 2024Murphy (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting third in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 29-year-old hasn't seen game action in a week due to a stomach bug, but he'll return to the field for Friday's exhibition. Murphy had a career-high 21 homers with an .843 OPS in 108 games last season, though Travis d'Arnaud should continue to see plenty of reps as Atlanta's secondary catcher in 2024.
Mar 7 2024Murphy is slated to return to Atlanta's Grapefruit League lineup Friday against the Pirates after being sidelined by a stomach bug, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy hasn't played in a week, and the illness provides an explanation behind his absence. Thankfully, he looks to be past the illness by this point, so he should be cleared to catch Friday, barring any setbacks leading up to the start of the game. Murphy -- who is 2-for-6 with two RBI this spring -- will be atop Atlanta's catching depth chart again in 2024, though Travis d'Arnaud should see plenty of reps as the No. 2 option.
Oct 11 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He started Game 1 but will be on the bench in favor of Travis d'Arnaud for the second contest in a row. Murphy was hitless in three at-bats in the series opener after putting up a lowly .451 OPS in the second half.
Oct 9 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for Monday's Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went hitless in Atlanta's Game 1 loss and will begin the second game of the series on the bench. Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for Max Fried, who is making his first start since Sept. 21 after missing the tail end of the regular season with a blister on his left index finger. Murphy and d'Arnaud split catching duties in fairly equitable fashion after the All-Star break, so it's not a surprise to see both of them garner a start in the first two games of the NLDS.
Oct 1 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta has locked away the top seed in the National League, so Murphy will sit for the third time in four games to close out the season. The 28-year-old finished this season with an .843 OPS and career highs in home runs (21) and RBI (68) despite playing in just 108 games.
Sep 29 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Friday against the Nationals, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will sit on the bench for the second straight game Friday while Travis d'Arnaud starts behind the plate and bats seventh. Murphy has recorded just one hit -- a home run -- in 20 at-bats over his last six games.
Sep 28 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cubs. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy continues to get regular days off as the NL East champs look ahead to the postseason. Travis d'Arnaud is starting at catcher and batting seventh for Atlanta on Thursday.
Sep 24 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started behind the plate in Game 1 and went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional run scored. Travis d'Arnaud will catch for Allan Winans in the nightcap.
Sep 21 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Thursday against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta seems to have fallen into a pattern of alternating between Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate, and Thursday will mark d'Arnaud's turn to start. Murphy is slashing .135/.286/.138 across 35 plate appearances since Sept. 1.
Sep 19 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy continues to get regular days of rest as the NL East champions look ahead to the postseason. Travis d'Arnaud will catch Spencer Strider and bat sixth Tuesday versus Philadelphia.
Sep 17 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta continues to give Murphy plenty of rest down the stretch, as he's started just seven games so far in September. Travis d'Arnaud will receive another look behind the plate for the NL East champions.
Sep 15 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Friday against Miami, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the dish for Atlanta in Friday's series opener after Murphy has failed to record a hit in his last eight trips to the plate.
Sep 12 2023Murphy is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will start at catcher and bat sixth versus right-hander Zack Wheeler. Murphy continues to get regular days of rest as the runaway NL East leaders look ahead to the postseason.
Sep 11 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have been deployed in a timeshare at catcher for Atlanta in the second half of the season, and manager Brian Snitker will go with d'Arnaud behind the dish for the afternoon tilt. Expect Murphy to be in the lineup for the nightcap.
Sep 10 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will sit for the third time in Atlanta's past four games as the club appears to be taking advantage of its 14-game lead in the NL East in order to give its top backstop some extra rest late in the season. Travis d'Arnaud will receive another chance behind the plate while batting seventh.
Sep 8 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Friday for a second consecutive day, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta has a 14-game lead in the NL East standings and can afford to give some regulars extra rest down the stretch. Travis d'Arnaud will again start at catcher and bat sixth Friday against Pittsburgh, just as he did in Thursday's series finale versus the Cardinals.
Sep 7 2023Murphy is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Cardinals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will get the start at catcher and bat sixth as Atlanta tries to avoid a three-game sweep. Murphy went 1-for-5 with three walks across the first two games of the series.
Sep 3 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have been splitting time behind the plate relatively evenly of late, and d'Arnaud will catch for Charlie Morton on Sunday after Murphy went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run Saturday.
Sep 1 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for Atlanta and bat sixth. Murphy has been getting more rest in recent weeks as the runaway NL East leaders look ahead to October.
Aug 30 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather for the series finale after he went 4-for-9 with three doubles, two runs and two RBI while starting behind the plate in the first two games at Coors Field. Travis d'Arnaud will form a battery with starting pitcher Darius Vines in the latter's MLB debut Wednesday.
Aug 29 2023Murphy went 3-for-5 with three doubles, two runs and an RBI against Colorado in a 14-4 win Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy came into the contest with just one multi-hit game and a .160 batting average since the All-Star break, but he found his stroke in the friendly confines of Coors Field. The veteran catcher hadn't hit a double in 21 games coming into the contest before clubbing three of them Monday. Atlanta has two more games in Colorado before heading west to face the Dodgers, giving Murphy an opportunity to further feast in the elevation as he attempts to turn his second-half struggles around.
Aug 27 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate for the second time in the series while Murphy receives another rest day. Murphy is hitting .160 and getting on base at a .320 clip since the All-Star break, and that downturn in productivity has cost him some starting opportunities thus far in the second half.
Aug 25 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Friday against the Giants, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a day off Friday after going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored during Wednesday's game against the Mets. As usual, Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the dish and bat seventh in Murphy's place.
Aug 22 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will start at catcher and bat seventh after Murphy went 0-for-8 with two strikeouts between Sunday's series finale against the Giants and Monday's series opener versus New York. Despite the recent struggles, Murphy still boasts an overall .903 OPS in 362 total plate appearances this season with the runaway NL East leaders.
Aug 19 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta seems to have fallen into a pattern of alternating between Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate, and Saturday will mark d'Arnaud's turn to start. Murphy has been a reliable option on days he gets to play, slashing .276/.475/.586 with three homers since the start of August.
Aug 16 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta will go with Travis d'Arnaud at catcher as they try to finish off a sweep of the Yankees. Murphy wasn't in the lineup for Monday's game, either, as manager Brian Snitker continues to regularly alternate starts for his catchers.
Aug 14 2023Murphy is out of the lineup Monday against the Yankees. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud is starting at catcher and batting fifth. This looks to be a routine day off for Murphy, who hit his 20th homer of the season in Sunday's series finale against the Mets.
Aug 12 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored during a 21-3 rout in Game 1, and he'll get a breather for the nightcap. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and bat fifth.
Aug 11 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Friday against the Mets, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will catch a breather Friday despite being on a four-game hitting streak. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and bat fifth while Murphy rests.
Aug 10 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Pittsburgh, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have split starts at catcher pretty evenly over the last couple weeks. It's also a day game after a night game, so d'Arnaud will be behind the plate after Murphy caught Wednesday.
Aug 8 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The timeshare behind the plate continues in Atlanta, with Marcell Ozuna holding down the everyday job at DH. Murphy will sit for the second time in three games as Travis d'Arnaud steps in at catcher. Murphy is slashing just .135/.262/.212 with one home run in 14 games since the All-Star break.
Aug 6 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first two games of the series in Chicago but will head to the bench for Sunday's finale. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate and bat fifth.
Aug 4 2023Murphy went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's victory over the Cubs. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy hit one of two home runs against Kyle Hendricks in a seven-run fourth inning for Atlanta. It was Murphy's 18th home run of the season but his first of the second half. He entered Friday's game with a .098/.229/.122 line in 11 games since he made his first career All-Star Game appearance.
Aug 2 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud have now alternated turns behind the dish over the last six games, with both backstops making three starts apiece. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker has opted for the timeshare arrangement, with Murphy getting off to a slow start to the second half, as the 28-year-old is mired in a 4-for-41 slump at the dish since the All-Star break. Once Murphy breaks out of his funk, he'll likely take back the lion's share of the starts at catcher.
Jul 31 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy received a breather Saturday, but Atlanta will give its top backstop another day off to begin its series with the Angels. The team hasn't provided any indication that Murphy is dealing with an injury, so his move to the bench for the second time in three days could just be a means of getting No. 2 catcher Travis d'Arnaud some extra work. Murphy could probably benefit from another day off anyway while he's gone cold coming out of the All-Star break; he's slashing .105/.227/.132 in his first 10 games of the second half.
Jul 29 2023Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup Saturday against the Brewers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After going 1-for-4 and scoring a run during Friday's contest, Murphy will catch a breather Saturday. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and bat fifth.
Jul 23 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Milwaukee, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 1-for-7 with a hit-by-pitch, a run and three strikeouts in the first two games against the Brewers and is hitting .083 through six games in the second half, so he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and bat fifth.
Jul 20 2023Murphy is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Diamondbacks. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get the day off for the afternoon tilt after catching Wednesday night's loss to Arizona. Travis d'Arnaud will be behind the plate for Spencer Strider on Thursday.
Jul 16 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather for the series finale after going 0-for-9 in his first two games back from the All-Star break. Of course Murphy didn't get much of a break -- he started the All-Star Game for the National League and caught several innings -- so he could probably use the day off more than most. Travis d'Arnaud will catch for starter Kolby Allard.
Jul 9 2023Murphy is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past three games and homered in each contest, but he'll receive a breather Sunday for the final game before the All-Star break. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate to catch for Bryce Elder.
Jul 5 2023Murphy went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Guardians. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop led a 19-hit barrage by Atlanta that saw seven of the team's nine starters record multiple hits, with Murphy's biggest blow being a solo shot off Cal Quantrill in the third inning. The homer was Murphy's third in his last six games and 15th of the season, while the surge has pushed his slash line on the season back up to .305/.397/.580 with 40 runs and 50 RBI in 65 contests.
Jul 4 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Tuesday at Cleveland. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Travis d'Arnaud will catch for Atlanta and Marcell Ozuna will fill the DH role. This looks to be a routine day of rest for Murphy, who smacked a double in Monday's series opener and boasts a .294/.389/.557 batting line on the year.
Jul 2 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta's top backstop will sit out the series finale in what appears to be a routine maintenance day. Travis d'Arnaud will check in behind the dish in place of Murphy, who went 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, a walk, four RBI and two additional runs while starting at catcher in the first two games of the series.
Jul 1 2023Murphy went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Friday's victory against the Marlins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's 14th homer of the year was a two-run shot in the sixth inning of Friday's blowout win. Despite being limited to just 58 plate appearances in June, he posted a .928 OPS with seven extra-base hits during the month, including a long ball in each of his last two games. The breakout 2023 campaign continues for Murphy, who is now slashing .294/.390/.556 with 47 RBI and 28 extra-base knocks.
Jun 28 2023Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Atlanta's offense came out of the gate firing, and Murphy's first-inning homer off Joe Ryan was one of five long balls the team hit in its first 10 plate appearances. The catcher is putting the finishing touches on a strong month of June that has seen him slash .300/.340/.500 through 15 games, and on the season Murphy's up to 13 homers and 44 RBI in 60 contests, a pace that would shatter the career highs of 18 home runs and 66 RBI he set last year in Oakland.
Jun 26 2023Murphy is not in the lineup Monday versus the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in his return Sunday from a hamstring tweak, but he'll grab a breather Monday as Atlanta opens a three-game series versus Minnesota. Travis d'Arnaud is catching and batting fifth.
Jun 25 2023Murphy (hamstring) is starting behind the plate and batting fifth Sunday against the Reds. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will return to the starting nine Sunday in Cincinnati after sitting out the past five games with a hamstring issue. The 28-year-old has a .286/.318/.452 slash line through 42 at-bats in June and a .915 OPS on the season.
Jun 24 2023Murphy (hamstring) isn't in Atlanta's lineup Saturday against the Reds. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Saturday will mark the fifth straight game Murphy has not started since injuring his hamstring a week ago against Colorado, though he was able to make a pinch-hit appearance Thursday. Travis d'Arnaud will continue to serve as Atlanta's main backstop in Murphy's absence and bat sixth.
Jun 22 2023Murphy (hamstring) appeared as a pinch hitter Thursday against the Phillies but won't be ready to catch Friday's game in Cincinnati, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: There's still a chance Murphy could return later this weekend, per Bowman, and his appearance off the bench Thursday makes an injured list stint less likely. Chadwick Tromp will serve as Travis d'Arnaud's backup in the meantime. Murphy struck out in his pinch-hit appearance.
Jun 21 2023Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Murphy (hamstring) felt better after running Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is out of the starting lineup again Wednesday versus the Phillies as he nurses a tweaked right hamstring, but it sounds like the 28-year-old catcher could potentially return for Thursday's series finale. He boasts a .919 OPS with 12 home runs, 14 doubles and 42 RBI through 57 games this season with the current NL East leaders.
Jun 20 2023Murphy (hamstring) remains absent from the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy tweaked his right hamstring Saturday and hasn't played since, though imaging scans showed only inflammation and he is expected to avoid the injured list. Travis d'Arnaud will catch and bat cleanup for Atlanta on Tuesday.
Jun 18 2023Murphy was diagnosed with inflammation in his right hamstring Sunday and is expected to be held out of the lineup for at least the next couple days, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 28-year-old was removed from Saturday's win over the Rockies due to hamstring tightness, but it appears he's avoided a serious injury and may not require a trip to the injured list. Travis d'Arnaud should step in as the club's primary backstop as Murphy continues to be evaluated over the next few days. Chadwick Tromp was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett for catching depth ahead of Sunday's series finale versus Colorado.
Jun 17 2023Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporers after Saturday's win over the Rockies that Murphy is undergoing an MRI on his right hamstring at a local hospital, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was pulled after limping down the first base line on a ball he hit to the wall in center. Snitker told reporters that the team would offer an update on Murphy's status after more is learned Saturday night. For now, the 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day.
Jun 16 2023Murphy is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a day off Friday after he went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored Thursday. Travis d'Arnaud will take over behind the plate and bat cleanup against Colorado.
Jun 14 2023Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat for a second straight game in Wednesday's matinee. Travis d'Arnaud will draw another start behind the plate and bat fourth in Game 1 with Detroit.
Jun 13 2023Murphy is on the bench Tuesday against Detroit. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: This looks to be a routine day of rest for Murphy, who caught all 10 innings in Monday's series-opening loss. Travis d'Arnaud is catching and batting cleanup for Atlanta on Tuesday.
Jun 10 2023Murphy is not in Saturday's lineup against the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is hitting .342 with two home runs over his last 10 games. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the dish and bat fifth.
Jun 8 2023Murphy is out of the lineup Thursday against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: This would appear to be a routine day of rest for Murphy, who caught the first two games of Atlanta's three-game series versus New York. Travis d'Arnaud is starting behind the plate and batting cleanup.
Jun 4 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first two games of the series in Arizona and will take a seat for Sunday afternoon's contest. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate with righty Michael Soroka on the mound for Atlanta.
Jun 3 2023Murphy went 3-for-5 with a double in Saturday's 5-2 win over Arizona. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: While Murphy had no direct involvement in the run production, he kept his bat hot with his second three-hit effort in his last five games. The catcher is batting .353 (18-for-51) over his last 13 contests, hitting safely in 12 of them, though just four of his knocks in that span have gone for extra bases. The surge has him up to a .294/.400/.553 slash line with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 29 runs scored and 11 doubles through 48 games, putting him on pace for a career year nearly across the board.
May 31 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather for the matinee game after he was behind the plate for the first two contests of the series versus his former team. Travis d'Arnaud will handle catching duties Wednesday.
May 28 2023Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He spoiled Philly's shutout bid in the ninth inning by taking Craig Kimbrel deep. Murphy extended his hit streak to eight games in the process, a stretch in which the backstop is batting .323 (10-for-31) with two of his 11 homers on the season.
May 26 2023Murphy is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has a seven-game hitting streak going but has now been out of the lineup for two of the last three contests. Travis d'Arnaud will catch Jared Shuster.
May 24 2023Murphy is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a day of rest for the series finale against the Dodgers. Travis d'Arnaud is getting the start behind the plate and will hit cleanup with Murphy out of the lineup.
May 21 2023Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's finale against Seattle, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 3-for-8 with a run scored over the first two games of the series against Seattle, bit the backstop will get a day off against George Kirby and the Mariners for the finale. Travis d'Arnaud gets the start behind the plate and is hitting cleanup.
May 17 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy appears to be receiving a routine day off. Travis d'Arnaud will step in for Murphy and serve as Atlanta's catcher with Spencer Strider on the hill.
May 14 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Toronto. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 0-for-12 with four strikeouts in the past three games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale versus the Blue Jays. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate and bat fifth.
May 10 2023Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Red Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The former Oakland catcher was just named NL Player of the Week, but he isn't resting on his laurels. Murphy has racked up five multi-hit performances in the last nine games, batting a thunderous .414 (12-for-29) over that stretch with two doubles, three homers, six runs and an incredible 16 RBI, and he now leads the entire National League in that category with 32 runs driven in.
May 7 2023Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Due to the quick turnaround for the series finale -- which begins at 11:35 a.m. ET -- both Atlanta and Baltimore are holding out their respective star backstops in Sean Murphy and Adley Rutschman for rest purposes. Chadwick Tromp will get a rare turn behind the plate while Murphy sits for the first time since April 23.
May 5 2023Murphy went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's loss to Baltimore. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy poked an RBI single to put Atlanta on the board in the first inning. He later drilled a three-run shot in the eighth but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback. Murphy has been incredible to begin the 2023 campaign, slashing .296/.439/.653 with nine homers, eight doubles and 28 RBI through 121 plate appearances. All of those long balls have come during the last 22 games, during which he's hitting .333 (26-for-78).
May 2 2023Murphy went 4-for-7 with two home runs, a walk, six RBI and three runs across both games of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started behind the plate and was the offensive star in the matinee, driving in six of Atlanta's nine runs on a pair of three-run homers. In the nightcap, he served as the team's designated hitter and reached base three more times. Murphy's pair of long balls gives him eight on the campaign, tops among big-league backstops. He's already nearly halfway to the career-high 18 homers he drilled last season.
Apr 5 2023Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Atlanta's series finale with the Cardinals on Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will head back to the bench after he went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two strikeouts in Tuesday's victory. The 28-year-old has now started only three out of six games to open the season after signing a lucrative deal with Atlanta in the offseason. Travis d'Arnaud will draw the start behind the plate and bat fourth against St. Louis.
Apr 3 2023Murphy is not in Atlanta's lineup for Monday's game in St. Louis. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has now started just two of his team's first four games, while Travis d'Arnaud has started all four (two at designated hitter). D'Arnaud is off to a 6-for-13 start and Murphy is hitless in eight plate appearances, so manager Brian Snitker seems to be just riding the hot hand here.
Apr 1 2023Murphy will sit Saturday against the Nationals, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy led all catchers in games played (148) and plate appearances (611) last season, but he may have a tough time repeating those accomplishments following his move to Atlanta, a team which also employs Travis d'Arnaud. It was Murphy behind the plate and d'Arnaud as the designated hitter in the season opener, but d'Arnaud will catch Saturday while Marcell Ozuna gets some at-bats as the DH. The exact playing-time split at both positions may take some time to figure out.
Mar 25 2023Murphy went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher hasn't gone yard yet this spring -- in fact, Friday's double was his second extra-base hit -- but Murphy should supply plenty of pop once the games start to count. The 28-year-old set new career highs with 18 home runs, 37 doubles and 66 RBI in 2022 with Oakland, and his home ballpark and lineup support both got major upgrades over the winter. Even if his workload gets scaled back as expected from last year's 611 plate appearances, Murphy might still improve on his fantasy numbers.
Mar 18 2023Murphy went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 28-year-old hasn't made much of an impact at the plate this spring, going 4-for-17 in seven games with only one extra-base hit, a double, but Murphy is locked into the starting role at catcher for Atlanta. He slugged a career-high 18 home runs and 66 RBI in 148 games last season for the A's, and while he may not see quite that workload in 2023 with a capable backup in Travis d'Arnaud behind him, the better lineup context could still lead Murphy to top last year's production.
Dec 27 2022Murphy agreed to a six-year, $73 million extension with Atlanta on Tuesday, which includes a $15 million club option for 2029. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The contract buys out three years of arbitration eligibility and could keep Murphy in Atlanta until the 2030 campaign, barring a trade. The 28-year-old was acquired from Oakland in mid-December after he posted a .250/.332/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 66 RBI for the Athletics last season, and he also won a Gold Glove in 2021.
Dec 12 2022Atlanta acquired Murphy from the Athletics on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Oakland's return for the catcher isn't yet clear. Murphy slashed .250/.332/.426 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI last season and, with exceptional abilities behind the plate, brings massive value entering his age-28 season. Unless Atlanta, which sent William Contreras to Milwaukee in the trade, also gets rid of Travis d'Arnaud, Murphy and d'Arnaud figure to share time behind the plate in 2023, with the latter seeing more action at designated hitter.
Oct 4 2022Murphy went 3-for-5 in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: All three of Murphy's hits were singles. He missed one game with an illness and his since gone 4-for-10 across two contests since his return. The catcher has enjoyed a career year in almost all aspects, batting .251 with 18 home runs, 66 RBI, 67 runs scored, 37 doubles, two triples and a stolen base in 147 games. Only his .333 on-base percentage and .429 slugging percentage have fallen short of being career-best marks, though he logged better ratios in smaller samples in 2019 and 2020.
Oct 3 2022Murphy (illness) is starting Monday against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy sat out Sunday's series finale against the Mariners due to an illness, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat third a day later. Over his last four games, he's gone 0-for-11 with two walks and four strikeouts.
Oct 2 2022Murphy (illness) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 27-year-old departed Saturday's contest with an illness and will be sidelined for at least one game. Shea Langeliers will start behind the plate Sunday in Murphy's absence.
Oct 1 2022Murphy was removed from Saturday's game against the Mariners due to an illness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started behind the dish Saturday and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a strikeout to begin the game. He should tentatively be considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's series finale in Seattle.
Sep 30 2022Murphy isn't in the lineup for Friday's matchup in Seattle. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After failing to record a hit in 10 tries during Oakland's last series against the Angels, Murphy will sit down to begin Friday's game against the Mariners. Shea Langeliers will take over behind the dish for Murphy, moving Jordan Diaz into the designated hitter role and opening up second base for Jonah Bride to start, batting eighth.
Sep 16 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a run in a loss to the Astros on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: If it seems like all Murphy does is pile up extra-base knocks, it's because that qualifies as only a modest embellishment. The slugging backstop has been putting the screws to the ball all season, with Thursday's production pushing him up to 53 total extra-base hits -- 33 doubles, two triples and 18 home runs. Murphy also has a trio of multi-hit efforts in the last six games, a stretch during which he carries a .292 batting average and .870 OPS across 27 plate appearances.
Sep 12 2022Murphy went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and a run in a win over the White Sox on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's fifth-inning two-bagger knocked in Vimael Machin as part of a six-run breakout for the Athletics. The slugging backstop has displayed impressive pop all season, with Sunday's double serving as his career-best 51st extra-base hit of the season (out of 118 total hits) and helping him to his second two-hit effort in the last three contests.
Sep 7 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with an RBI groundout, a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run in a loss to Atlanta on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The slugging backstop authored a multi-RBI effort for the second time in the last seven games, with his third-inning blast cutting a four-run deficit in half at the time. Murphy's productive night pushed him to new career highs in home runs (18) and RBI (62).
Aug 31 2022Murphy went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI in Tuesday's 10-6 win over the Nationals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop did most of his damage in the fifth inning, as he turned on a Steve Cishek slider with the bases loaded for his first career grand slam. Murphy snapped a brief 10-game homer drought with the performance, but he's mostly been red hot since the All-Star break, slashing .298/.404/.556 over his last 35 games with eight home runs and 22 RBI.
Aug 28 2022Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past 13 games and will receive a well-deserved day off after he posted a .333/.429/.604 slash line with three home runs, five RBI and seven runs during that span. Shea Langeliers will shift behind the plate while Stephen Vogt serves as the designated hitter.
Aug 24 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run in a loss to the Marlins on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy continued his extra-base-hit barrage Tuesday, with his pair of two-baggers pushing his tally to a career-high 30 doubles and 47 extra-base knocks overall. Murphy's current .255 average is also the highest of any end-of-season figure he's ever produced in that category, and he now owns a .333/.422/.583 slash line in August, along with a modest 15.7 percent strikeout rate.
Aug 21 2022Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 27-year-old continued his torrid August with two more hits Sunday to improve his average to .328 in the month. This stretch has pushed Murphy to second among all catchers in hits and third in RBI. Murphy continues to prove that he is an elite backstop, and it will be interesting to see how the Athletics split playing time between him and emerging rookie Shea Langeliers, especially as Murphy is several years removed from free agency.
Aug 17 2022Murphy went 3-for-5 with one double, two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran catcher was no match for Cole Ragans, as he tagged the southpaw for two home runs on the night. He also hit a double in the top of the eighth for his third extra base hit of the night. Murphy is now slashing .251/.327/.450 on the season and is top three among all catchers in HR, RBI and runs.
Aug 16 2022Murphy went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went yard off Kohei Arihara to give the Athletics a 3-0 lead in the third inning. It's been a productive August for Murphy -- he's batting .304 (14-for-46) with two homers and eight RBI in 13 games. The catcher is up to a .246/.324/.429 slash line, 14 long balls, 49 RBI, 48 runs scored, one stolen base and 26 doubles through 106 contests. With top prospect Shea Langeliers joining the Athletics on Tuesday, Murphy could see a slight reduction in playing time, though it's expected he'll still regularly serve as the designated hitter when he's not behind the plate.
Aug 14 2022Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Houston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past 13 games and will take a seat Sunday while in the midst of a 2-for-18 slump. Stephen Vogt will work behind the plate in the series finale versus the Astros.
Aug 5 2022Murphy went 1-for-5 with a two-run double and a run in a win over the Angels on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy collected his sixth and seventh RBI over the last five games -- including his fifth in the last two -- with his third-inning two-bagger. The backstop did strike out in three other plate appearances, but he's been an asset for the Athletics and fantasy managers since the All-Star break with a .279/.380/.651 slash line, four doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, seven walks and nine runs across the last 12 games.
Aug 4 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in a 3-1 win against the Angels on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was responsible for all of the A's runs in the win, knocking an RBI single off Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning and swatting a two-run homer off the All-Star pitcher in the sixth. It was the second straight two-hit game for the catcher following a 1-for-14 stretch over his previous four contests. Murphy has gone deep 13 times this year and is on pace to surpass the career-high 17 long balls he slugged last season.
Aug 3 2022Murphy went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a double and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy drove in the only run of the night for the Athletics in the fifth inning with a single that plated Jonah Bride. The 27-year-old's two-bagger was his fifth extra-base hit over the last seven games, a span during which he's hitting just .250 but owns a 1.004 OPS.
Jul 31 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the White Sox on Saturday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy took Johnny Cueto deep in the first inning with a 425-foot shot to left field that gave the Athletics an early lead. The long ball was Murphy's third in the last eight games, a stretch of 33 plate appearances during which the slugging backstop has forged an outstanding 1.061 OPS with the help of an 18.2 percent walk rate.
Jul 27 2022Murphy isn't starting Wednesday against Houston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first seven games following the All-Star break and slashed .286/.483/.667 with two homers, two doubles, six runs and four RBI. Stephen Vogt is taking over behind the plate and batting sixth.
Jul 25 2022Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run, two walks and an additional run in a loss to the Rangers on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's bat continued its breakout July with Sunday's spectacular effort, one that pushed his monthly slash line to a stellar .348/.420/.580 across 81 plate appearances. The slugging backstop is sporting an impressively modest 13.6 percent strikeout rate in that span as well, and 10 (seven doubles, three homers) of his 24 hits have gone for extra bases in the sample.
Jul 21 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader split with the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After starting at catcher and drawing two walks in the matinee, Murphy shifted to DH for the second game of the twin bill. He produced the biggest hit of the contest, slugging a 447-foot three-run homer to center field in the sixth inning that provided all of the runs Oakland needed to pull out the win. Murphy has struggled for much of the season but has turned things around in July, batting .333 with two homers, nine runs and nine RBI over 60 at-bats.
Jul 17 2022Murphy, who went 2-for-4 in a loss to the Astros on Saturday, is now carrying a .360/.393/.540 slash line across 56 plate appearances in 13 July games. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The hot-hitting backstop's torrid stretch includes six doubles, a home run, six RBI, two walks and seven runs. Murphy has a quartet of multi-hit efforts as well during the current month, and he's managed to reach safely in all but one game.
Jul 12 2022Murphy went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, two runs and two RBI during a 14-7 victory over Texas on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy singled in the first and 10th, was intentionally walked in the 12th and doubled in the third and eighth to reach base an impressive five times; his previous season best was three. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a scorching start to July with a .385/.409/.590 slash line through 10 games, though Tuesday's walk was his first since June 23.
Jul 10 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in a win over the Astros on Saturday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The hard-hitting backstop extended a stretch of strong work at the plate to eight games, with Saturday's production pushing his slash line over that span to a stellar .333/.333/.533. Murphy also has been collecting plenty of extra-base hits all season; Saturday's two-bagger gives him 29 XBHs over 76 games, leaving him on pace to eclipse the career-high 40 he generated in 2021 across 119 contests.
Jul 6 2022Murphy isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started in the last six games and hit .318 with a homer, a double, four RBI and three runs during that time. Stephen Vogt will take his place at catcher and bat fifth Wednesday.
Jul 1 2022Murphy went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two total RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy opened the scoring with an RBI single in the fifth inning and added a solo shot in the seventh to restore a two-run lead. This was his fourth multi-hit game in his last nine, but he hadn't posted an extra-base hit in that span prior to Friday. The catcher is slashing .224/.297/.406 with nine homers, 32 RBI, 29 runs scored, a stolen base and 17 doubles through 283 plate appearances.
Jun 29 2022Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Oakland concluding its series in New York with a day game after a night game, Murphy will get a breather after he was behind the plate for both of the past two evenings. Stephen Vogt will catch for starting pitcher Cole Irvin on Wednesday.
Jun 26 2022Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He'll be getting a breather in the series finale after starting each of Oakland's last six games at either catcher or designated hitter. Stephen Vogt will step in behind the dish Sunday while Seth Brown serves as the Athletics' DH.
Jun 23 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 in a loss to the Mariners on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's fourth multi-hit effort in the last 12 games pushed his slash line over that span to .302/.375/.558 across 48 plate appearances. The 27-year-old backstop's .216 average and .291 on-base percentage for the season still have plenty of room for improvement, but both figures are certainly on an upswing at the moment thanks to his hot hitting.
Jun 20 2022Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run in Sunday's victory over the Royals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy sent Seth Brown and Ramon Laureano home on a sixth-inning shot, giving him eight home runs on the season. The catcher has at least one hit in four of his last five games, including two multi-hit affairs. After batting .218 in April and .188 in May, Murphy has made some improvements and is slashing .261/.320/.500 in June, raising his season batting average to .214.
Jun 18 2022Murphy isn't starting Saturday's game against the Royals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started in the last 10 games and slashed .257/.333/.457 with two homers, a double, three runs and three RBI. He'll get a breather while Stephen Vogt starts behind the plate and bats cleanup.
Jun 11 2022Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss against the Guardians. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy picked up his sixth home run of the season on a solo shot in the second inning of Friday's game. It gave the Athletics an early lead, which they held until the bottom of the ninth inning. The home run was Murphy's first since May 27.
Jun 9 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to Atlanta on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's fourth-inning knock plated Stephen Vogt with what would turn out to be the second and final run of the night for Oakland. The struggling backstop, who'd snapped a brief four-game, 0-for-14 skid Tuesday, is still carrying just a .202/.276/.367 slash line with a 26.7 percent strikeout rate on the season.
Jun 5 2022Murphy is not in Sunday's lineup against the Red Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is hitting .162 with one home run over his last 10 games. Christian Bethancourt will start at catcher and bat fifth.
Jun 1 2022Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Astros, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a day off after starting six straight games, going 4-for-21 with a homer, two RBI and two runs in those contests. Christian Bethancourt will draw the start at catcher and bat sixth Wednesday.
May 30 2022Murphy went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two walks and a run in a win over the Rangers on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: One day after seeing an eight-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-5, four-strikeout tally, Murphy bounced back by reaching safely in three of five plate appearances. The 27-year-old still has plenty of work to do on his .207/.280/.391 slash line, but he owns an improved .275 average and .791 OPS across his last 10 games.
May 27 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's double off Martin Perez extended the backstop's hitting streak to seven games, continuing one of his most productive stretches of the season. The 27-year-old is hitting a solid .286 (8-for-28) over that sample, but only two of his hits have gone for extra bases and he hasn't left the yard since April 29.
May 25 2022Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is carrying a six-game hitting streak but has caught in each of the Athletics' last five games, so he'll be getting some routine maintenance in the series finale in Seattle. Christian Bethancourt will be behind the plate Wednesday in his stead.
May 18 2022Murphy is not starting Wednesday's series finale versus the Twins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher will rest after starting six consecutive games, producing just one hit over that stretch while driving in three runs. Christian Bethancourt will draw the start behind the plate and bat fifth Wednesday.
May 12 2022Murphy isn't starting Thursday's series finale against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After starting each of the team's last five games, Murphy will get a breather Thursday. He reached base in all five of those contests, going 5-for-17 with three doubles, five runs and two RBI. Christian Bethancourt will draw the start behind the plate and bat sixth.
May 9 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs in a loss to the Twins on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The struggling backstop put an end to a brief 0-for-9 slump with the help of his first extra-base hit since April 29. Murphy's season average and on-base percentage stand at a lackluster .212 and .275, respectively, but he has a somewhat respectable .434 slugging percentage thanks to nine of his 13 hits thus far going for extra bases.
May 7 2022Murphy isn't starting Saturday against the Twins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started in the last five games and went 2-for-17 with a run, an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts. Christian Bethancourt will start behind the plate and bat sixth.
Apr 30 2022Murphy isn't starting Saturday's game against the Guardians. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started every game this season, but he'll get a breather after he hit .100 with a homer, three RBI, two runs and a walk over his last five appearances. Austin Allen will start behind the dish and bat sixth.
Apr 21 2022Murphy went 3-of-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy not only turned in a great day at the plate, he was instrumental on defense in a questionable call that led to the ejection of Trey Mancini and Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. Backing up the throw to first, Murphy tagged Mancini out after he ran past first base and allegedly made a move toward second, leading the catcher to smartly tag him out. Murphy has exceeded expectations early this season but had settled into a bit of an offensive slump in the series with Baltimore, going 0-for-10 leading into Thursday's game.
Apr 19 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double in a win over the Orioles on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's two-bagger was already his ninth extra-base hit of the season, particularly noteworthy considering he has just 11 hits overall. The steady stream of hard contact has helped lead to an impressive .558 slugging percentage for Murphy over his first 47 plate appearances, while his current .256 average is a 40-point improvement on his .216 figure from 2021.
Apr 16 2022Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Blue Jays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop took Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) deep in the third inning, giving the A's a 5-1 lead they nearly squandered. Murphy is on a tear, going 7-for-19 (.368) over the last four games with three doubles, two homers and six RBI.
Apr 13 2022Murphy went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy entered the contest with just two hits in his first 21 at-bats of the season, but he matched that hit total in the productive performance Wednesday. The backstop's third-inning three-run homer provided all the scoring Oakland needed to grab its third win of the campaign. Murphy's four hits this season have included one single, one double, one triple and one long ball.
Apr 12 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with an RBI fielder's choice, a triple, a hit-by-pitch and a run in a win over the Rays on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has followed up an impressive spring at the plate with just two hits in his first 18 plate appearances; however, both knocks have gone for extra bases, as the backstop also laced a double Opening Day against the Phillies. The 27-year-old has also struck out on six occasions, however, whiffing at least once in each of the Athletics' first four games.
Apr 9 2022Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double and a run in a loss to the Phillies on Friday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was virtually unstoppable during Cactus League play with a .433 average, and he got the regular season off to a positive start with his two-bagger off Aaron Nola, the only non-home-run extra-base hit for the Athletics on the afternoon. The 27-year-old racked up career highs in home runs (17) and RBI (59) in 2021, but his .216 average and .306 on-base percentage left ample room for improvement.
Mar 27 2022Murphy, who went 1-for-2 with a double in a Cactus League loss to the Mariners on Sunday, is hitting .545 (6-for-11), four doubles, a home run, four RBI, a walk and two runs in his first five exhibitions. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 27-year-old backstop's numbers underscore how blistering hot he's been to start spring, certainly an encouraging sign after Murphy's lackluster .216/.306/.405 slash line in 2021. While he did record a career-high 17 home runs and 59 RBI last season, Murphy's early showing this spring offers some hope he'll be able to get on base more consistently in 2022 while hopefully only ceding occasional playing time to the returning Stephen Vogt.
Sep 23 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has lost considerable playing time in the last month, with Yan Gomes taking over as the team's primary catcher. However, he started both Wednesday and Thursday's contests, collecting three hits in seven at-bats. He delivered his 17th home run of the season Thursday, and he now has three home runs across his last 13 starts. Despite his recent display of power it's been a disappointing season for Murphy, as he's managed only a .217/.306/.413 line across 431 plate appearances.
Sep 8 2021Murphy is out of the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 26-year-old finds himself on the bench for the third consecutive game and for the eighth time in the past 10 contests. Murphy is 3-for-28 with a 40 percent strikeout rate in his past nine appearances as Yan Gomes has taken over as Oakland's primary catcher.
Sep 7 2021Murphy isn't starting Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last five games after he went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer Saturday. Yan Gomes will start behind the dish and bat eighth.
Sep 5 2021Murphy is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday and is now hitting .177 with three home runs and four RBI in his last 10 games. Yan Gomes is catching and batting sixth Sunday.
Sep 4 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 10-8 loss to Toronto. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The catcher went deep in the ninth inning, but Oakland's rally fell short despite his contribution. Murphy is up to 16 homers, 57 RBI, 41 runs scored and a .216/.309/.418 slash line across 404 plate appearances. His altogether unimpressive production has led to him losing playing time to Yan Gomes, who hasn't been all that much better with the bat.
Sep 3 2021Murphy is not in Friday's lineup against the Blue Jays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He is hitting just .196 with two home runs in 56 at-bats since the start of August. Yan Gomes will start behind the dish and hit eighth.
Sep 2 2021Murphy isn't starting Thursday's game against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started each of the last two games, but he'll get a chance to reset after he went 0-for-7 with a walk and four strikeouts. Yan Gomes will start behind the dish and bat eighth.
Aug 29 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather after each of the Athletics' last five games at either designated hitter or catcher while going a collective 2-for-17 with a home run and eight strikeouts in those contests. Yan Gomes will spell Murphy behind the plate, while Jed Lowrie serves as the team's DH.
Aug 26 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's back-to-back blasts with Matt Chapman in the third inning ignited a six-run comeback, though the backstop wasn't productive in his other at-bats. The 26-year-old is in a timeshare with trade deadline acquisition Yan Gomes, which has actually benefitted both players, evidenced by Murphy's improved .256/.385/.512 slash line this month.
Aug 23 2021Murphy is out of the lineup Monday against the Athletics, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 26-year-old finds himself on the bench for the second consecutive contest, as Yan Gomes receives another start behind the plate. Murphy has a .939 OPS so far in August, but he and Gomes are now splitting time at catcher, as they each have 10 starts in the past 20 games. Additionally, the Associated Press reports Murphy was dealing with a tender wrist Sunday that limited him to just a cameo as a defensive replacement for the final game of the weekend series against the Giants.
Aug 22 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Yan Gomes will step in for Murphy, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss. Murphy has seen a lighter share of the catching duties since Gomes was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, but the former still appears to be Oakland's No. 1 backstop.
Aug 20 2021Murphy is not starting Friday against the Giants, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has yielded the catching duties to Yan Gomes against left-handers since Gomes was acquired at the trade deadline, and that will remain the case Friday against Alex Wood.
Aug 19 2021Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks Thursday against the White Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy kicked off the scoring for the Athletics with his 14th home run of the season. Though it was first homer since July 27, Murphy has produced plenty of late. Across his last eight games, he has seven RBI and four runs scored while also logging four doubles. For the season, Murphy has a .222/.319/.422 line with 37 runs scored and 54 RBI across 370 plate appearances.
Aug 18 2021Murphy isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout Tuesday and will head to the bench for the second time in the last three games. Yan Gomes will start at catcher and bat seventh.
Aug 16 2021Murphy is out of the lineup Monday against the White Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past two games and will receive a day off after going 1-for-8 with a double and an RBI. Yan Gomes will start behind the plate in his place Monday.
Aug 13 2021Murphy will sit Friday against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy handled a very heavy workload in July, starting 19 of 24 games behind the plate. He's had far more frequent rest in August following the deadline-day acquisition of Yan Gomes. Gomes will get the nod Friday, meaning both backstops have now started five times so far this month.
Aug 12 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, two RBI and two walks Thursday against Cleveland. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had a productive day, which began with a two-run double in the second inning. He also came around to score multiple runs in a game for the sixth time this season. Murphy has been productive of late, as he's now driven in at least one run in three consecutive contests and has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine starts. Overall, Murphy has maintained a .224/.318/.419 line with 13 home runs, 36 runs scored and 52 RBI across 355 plate appearances.
Aug 11 2021Murphy isn't starting Wednesday's game against Cleveland. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy drew starts in each of the last two games and went 2-for-8 with two doubles, three RBI and two strikeouts. Yan Gomes will start at catcher and bat fifth.
Aug 9 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in a win over the Rangers on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy laced a first-inning two bagger that snapped a 1-1 tie by plating Josh Harrison and Jed Lowrie. The 26-year-old backstop is on a bit of a roll offensively, as he's now reached safely in nine straight games, a stretch during which he owns an impressive .267/.405/.433 slash line and 18.9 percent walk rate across 37 plate appearances.
Aug 7 2021Murphy will sit Saturday against Texas. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has handled a very heavy workload lately, sitting just four times in the last 21 games heading into Saturday's contest. The Athletics' deadline-day acquisition of Yan Gomes should lead to more rest for Murphy going forward, however, as he'll start for the third time in five games Saturday.
Aug 3 2021Murphy is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He sits for the second straight game with Oakland facing southpaw Blake Snell. Murphy has hit .190 against left-handed pitching this season, whereas Yan Gomes, who's starting Tuesday, has hit .364 in such matchups.
Aug 1 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will receive some maintenance after he caught each of the last six games. While he remains atop the depth chart in the aftermath of the trade deadline, Murphy could cede more work to newly acquired backup Yan Gomes than Oakland's previous No. 2 option in Aramis Garcia, who has since been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Jul 27 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, solo home run and an additional RBI in a 7-4 loss to the Padres on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was responsible for Oakland's final two runs of the game, lacing an RBI-double in the third and solo home run off reliever Drew Pomeranz in the eighth. The homer was his first since the All-Star break and 13th on the season, bringing him to a tie with Buster Posey for eighth most among backstops.
Jul 24 2021Murphy will sit Saturday against Seattle. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy hits the bench for the first time in a week. Aramis Garcia will take over behind the plate in his absence.
Jul 23 2021Murphy went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in a win over the Mariners on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy extended the Athletics' narrow lead to 2-0 with his sixth-inning two-bagger, snapping a brief 0-for-11 skid in the process. The struggling backstop owns just a .217 average and .303 on-base percentage, but he's cobbled together a respectable .416 slugging percentage thanks to lacing exactly half of his 58 hits for extra bases (17 doubles, 12 home runs), which has helped lead to a solid 45 RBI.
Jul 17 2021Murphy is not starting Saturday's game against Cleveland, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 26-year-old doubled in a 1-for-4 effort Friday and is now hitting .225 in his last 10 starts. Aramis Garcia is catching and batting ninth Saturday.
Jul 12 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy popped a home run in his second straight game as part of a four-homer day for the Athletics. The 26-year-old catcher has showcased some nice power and ended the weekend with an RBI in three consecutive games. He'll head into the All-Star break slashing .222/.313/.427 with 12 homers, 31 runs scored and leads all players at his position with 43 RBI.
Jul 10 2021Murphy went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Saturday against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy got the A's on the board in the second inning when he took Texas starter Mike Foltynewicz deep to center field. It was the 11th round-tripper of the year for Murphy, who had gone his previous 10 games without an extra-base hit. The 26-year-old catcher is slashing a disappointing .217/.311/.414 in 280 plate appearances this season, although the 11 homers have helped him drive in 42 runs, tied for second on the team.
Jul 8 2021Murphy isn't starting Thursday's game against Houston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a chance to reset after he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts across the last two games. Aramis Garcia will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
Jul 4 2021Murphy is out of the lineup Sunday versus the Red Sox, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was behind the plate for the first two games of the series and will take a seat for the finale. Aramis Garcia will start at catcher and bat ninth in his place Sunday.
Jul 3 2021Murphy went 3-for-5 with a walk and scored three times in Saturday's 12-inning victory over Boston. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop played all 12 frames in the contest and scored three of Oakland's seven runs. The three-hit effort was only his second such performance this season, and he reached base a season-high four times overall. Murphy's big game came on the heels of a five-game stretch during which he went 1-for-18. He is slashing .221/.321/.420 on the campaign.
Jul 1 2021Murphy isn't starting Thursday against the Rangers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 1-for-6 with an RBI and two strikeouts across the last two games, and he'll retreat to the bench for the second time in the last four contests. Aramis Garcia will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
Jun 27 2021Murphy is not starting Sunday against San Francisco, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will yield the catching duties to Aramis Garcia after going hitless across eight at-bats during the first two games of the series. He could be an option for Bob Melvin off the bench, however.
Jun 24 2021Murphy isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is in the midst of a 10-game on-base streak, and he's gone 5-for-11 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs, four RBI and two walks across the last three contests. Aramis Garcia will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.
Jun 23 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in a 5-3 loss to Texas on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy got Oakland on the board with a 443-foot homer to center in the seventh, his second in three games, and doubled earlier in the fourth. The backstop has enjoyed his three games in Texas as he's 5-for-11 with two home runs and two doubles and has raised his OPS from .728 to .782 in the span.
Jun 22 2021Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Rangers on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The young backstop's 387-foot shot to left finally got the Athletics on the board in the fifth inning. Murphy is in the midst of one of his strongest stretches of the season at the plate, as he's slugged three home runs while posting a .294/.500/.824 slash line across 24 plate appearances over his last six games.
Jun 16 2021Murphy isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had reached base in each of the last four games and went 4-for-12 with two homers, four runs, three RBI and three walks during that time. Aramis Garcia will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
Jun 14 2021Murphy went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Monday's 8-5 win over the Angels. He was also hit by a pitch twice. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy gave Oakland the lead with his two-run shot off Dylan Bundy in the second inning. The 26-year-old catcher was 2-for-20 since his last homer on June 4. He's up to 20 extra-base hits, 34 RBI and a .723 OPS through 208 plate appearances.
Jun 11 2021Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Kansas City, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a rest after starting the past four games behind the plate. Aramis Garcia will start at catcher and bat ninth Friday.
Jun 6 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's loss to the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy notched Oakland's lone run with an RBI double that scored Tony Kemp in the top of the sixth, but that would be all the offense the Athletics would be able to muster in the entire game. The backstop has hit safely in six of Oakland's last eight contests but is only hitting .222 on the campaign.
Jun 5 2021Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started each of the last five games and hit .250 with a home run, three doubles, seven RBI and two runs. Aramis Garcia will take over at catcher and bat eighth.
Jun 4 2021Murphy went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in a 9-5 win over the Rockies on Friday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The backstop enjoyed a big day at the plate, driving in three runs for the first time this season. He blasted a solo home run to right field in the second inning, knocked in another run with a single in the third and notched another RBI with a double in the sixth. Over his past seven games, Murphy has knocked in 10 runs despite batting a pedestrian .259.
Jun 2 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run double, a walk and a run in a win over the Mariners on Tuesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's seventh-inning two-bagger doubled the Athletics' lead to four runs at the time and gave the clutch-hitting backstop his sixth and seventh RBI over his last five games. Murphy is hitting just .222 over that stretch while striking out a massive 35.0 percent clip, but the contradictory numbers are simply a microcosm of a season in which his .379/.457/.517 slash line with men in scoring position thoroughly dwarfs his .215/.310/.389 season-long figures.
May 29 2021Murphy isn't starting Saturday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started each of the last two games and went 2-for-7 with three RBI, a run and two strikeouts. Aramis Garcia will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
May 26 2021Murphy isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Seattle, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had gone 0-for-7 with three strikeouts across the last two games. Aramis Garcia will serve as the starting catcher and bat ninth.
May 22 2021Murphy is not in the lineup Saturday against the Angels, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will receive the day off Saturday after starting the past five games behind the plate. Aramis Garcia will start at catcher and bat ninth for the A's.
May 17 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, a double and a run in a win over the Twins on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy boosted his average back over the Mendoza Line for the first time since May 8 with Sunday's multi-hit effort, his fifth of the season. The backstop has now hit safely in four consecutive starts, with three of his five hits during that stretch going for extra bases (two doubles, one home run).
May 15 2021Murphy is not in Saturday's lineup against the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has started each of the team's last five games and will take a seat on the bench with a day game following a night game. Aramis Garcia will take over behind the dish and hit ninth.
May 14 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 6-1 win over the Twins. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's fifth-inning shot gave Oakland a 3-0 lead. It was his fifth long ball of the year and first in the month of May. The 26-year-old owns a .709 OPS with 16 RBI through 120 plate appearances.
May 8 2021Murphy isn't starting Saturday against the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had started in each of the last six games, but Austin Allen will start behind the dish and bat eighth Saturday. Murphy went 3-for-11 with a double and four RBI in his last three games.
May 7 2021Murphy went 1-for-3 with a two-run single and a walk in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Athletics ultimately were handed a lopsided loss, but Murphy's timely single actually overcame an early deficit for Oakland and created a temporary one-run advantage. Murphy still sports just a .218 average through 95 plate appearances, but his clutch hitting over the last pair of games has pushed his average with men on base to .313 over 39 plate appearances, and to .333 with men in scoring position specifically (15 PAs).
May 6 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a run-scoring double in a loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy filled the designated hitter role in Wednesday's contest and certainly did his part with the bat, driving in half of the Athletics' runs on the night. The 26-year-old is still sporting a lackluster .213 average, but it's a figure that's actually been on an ascent of late; factoring in Wednesday's production, Murphy is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a double, two home runs, four RBI, three walks, two hit by pitches and four runs over his last eight games.
May 1 2021Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a breather after he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's series opener. Aramis Garcia will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
Apr 30 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the 3-2 loss Friday to the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy provided his third two-hit game of the season Friday. The catcher is slashing just .206/.324/.444 in 20 games. However, he has three home runs in his last four starts, flashing some of the power that he showed in the minor leagues. He hasn't played a full season in the majors yet, but he has 20-homer potential. Murphy's numbers in 2020 stretched over a full season gives him 19 home runs, 38 RBI and 57 runs scored.
Apr 28 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will get a well-deserved day off he provided a pair of home runs while starting in both of the first two games of the series. Aramis Garcia will step in behind the plate, catching for starting pitcher Cole Irvin.
Apr 27 2021Murphy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He crushed the second pitch he saw from Diego Castillo in the ninth inning over the fence in left-center field to bring the A's within a run, but they couldn't find an equalizer. Murphy has gone yard in back-to-back games and slugged all three of his homers on the year in his last eight contests, but on the season he's still only slashing .185/.323/.407.
Apr 26 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 2-1 win over the Rays. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He took Rich Hill deep in the fourth inning, giving Sean Manaea and the A's bullpen all the offense they would need. Murphy is still climbing out of his 0-for-14 slump to begin the season, but over his last 11 games he's gone a somewhat more palatable 8-for-36 (.222) with two homers and seven RBI.
Apr 25 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will retreat to the bench after catching in each of Oakland's last three games, going 2-for-12 at the dish during that span. Aramis Garcia will fill in for Murphy behind the plate.
Apr 20 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started behind the plate in the matinee, going 0-for-2 with one run and one walk, and he unsurprisingly won't start both ends of the doubleheader. Aramis Garcia will work behind the plate in Game 2 for the A's.
Apr 18 2021Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 win over Detroit. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's eighth-inning blast tied the game up at 2-2. After starting the year 1-for-18, the 26-year-old is 4-for-13 with four extra-base hits over his last four games.
Apr 17 2021Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 1-for-7 with a double, two RBI, two walks and two strikeouts in the first two games of the series against Detroit. Aramis Garcia will take his place behind the dish Saturday, batting ninth.
Apr 13 2021Murphy is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy broke out of his season-long slump in Monday's 9-5 victory, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles while also reaching base on a hit by pitch. He'll cede catching duties to Aramis Garcia in the series finale, but expect Murphy to return behind the plate Thursday against the Tigers.
Apr 9 2021Murphy is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Houston, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 26-year-old started three of the past four contests and will head to the bench Friday against the Astros. Aramis Garcia will take over behind the plate for the A's.
Apr 7 2021Murphy isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started each of the past two games and went hitless with a walk and four strikeouts in seven at-bats during that time. Aramis Garcia will take his place behind the plate Wednesday, batting ninth.
Apr 5 2021Murphy (wrist) will return to the lineup Monday against the Dodgers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was hit by a pitch on his wrist in the season opener and missed the next three games. The issue never seemed like a long-term problem, however. He'll catch and bat sixth Monday.
Apr 4 2021Updating a previous report, Murphy (wrist) will remain out of the lineup for a third straight game Sunday against the Astros, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Though an initial lineup released on MLB.com listed Murphy as the Athletics' starting catcher, those duties will instead fall to Aramis Garcia while Murphy remains on the mend from a bruised right wrist. Per Alex Coffey of The Athletic, manager Bob Melvin said that Murphy didn't feel 100 percent while swinging in the batting cage, but the Athletics think the 26-year-old backstop will need only one more day off before checking back into the lineup. Oakland opens a three-game home series with the Dodgers on Monday.
Apr 3 2021Murphy (wrist) will sit again Saturday against the Astros, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was hit by a pitch in his wrist in Thursday's season opener and was scratched from Friday's lineup. He'll miss a second straight game Saturday, with Aramis Garcia getting another start behind the plate. Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, Murphy is feeling better and could pinch hit Saturday.
Apr 2 2021Murphy was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Astros with a right wrist contusion. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He was hit on the wrist by a pitch in Thursday's game. Aramis Garcia will enter the lineup at catcher and will bat ninth.
Mar 25 2021Murphy, who didn't make his Cactus League debut until last Thursday due to surgery for a collapsed lung, went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run, three RBI, a walk and two runs overall in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's second round tripper of Cactus League play notably came off Lance Lynn, and all four of the young backstop's hits thus far this spring have gone for extra bases. The 26-year-old has made up some ground in his preparation, having logged 20 spring plate appearances through Thursday's exhibition versus the Mariners.
Mar 21 2021Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Saturday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The sixth-inning round tripper is Murphy's only hit through his first nine spring plate appearances after just making his debut Thursday following his recovery from surgery to address a collapsed lung. Murphy should continue to see plenty of action over the balance of the Cactus League schedule in an attempt to get him up to speed ahead of the regular season.
Mar 18 2021Murphy (chest) will make his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Padres, catching and batting third, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was handled carefully to start camp as he made his way back from offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung. He's making his spring debut just two weeks before Opening Day, but it looks as though he should still have a good chance to break camp on the active roster.
Mar 16 2021Athletics manager Bob Melvin said he expects Murphy (collapsed lung) to start at catcher in his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Padres, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Earlier reports suggested that Murphy would make his first appearance of the spring Wednesday against the Royals, but the Athletics will instead give the 26-year-old an additional day to rest up before he debuts. Murphy was delayed at the start of camp while recovering from offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, but the Athletics appear confident that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.
Mar 13 2021Manager Bob Melvin expects Murphy (lung) to play in a spring training game sometime this week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 26-year-old has yet to make his spring debut after undergoing offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, but he's been taking part in baseball activities for the past couple weeks. Murphy should have enough time to ramp up for Opening Day if he's able to see game action this week as expected.
Mar 11 2021Murphy (lung) doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action but is taking batting practice, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy underwent surgery over the offseason to address a collapsed lung. He's behind the rest of his teammates this spring, but Murphy has been doing at least some baseball activities since late February, including taking batting practice against the Athletics' coaching staff since the start of this week. He's considered close to ready for game action, which should give him a chance to get up to speed by Opening Day.
Mar 8 2021Murphy (lung) was cleared to take batting practice Monday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's initial BP session will come against Oakland's coaching staff, but if all goes well, he could be cleared to face live pitching by the end of the week. The 26-year-old backstop is beginning to ramp up his activities following offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, and the Athletics seemingly remain optimistic that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day.
Mar 3 2021Murphy (chest) has resumed hitting and catching, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has been slowed to begin spring training following a pair of offseason surgeries to address a collapsed lung. While manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy still isn't ready for game action, the catcher has been progressing well in his recovery so far. The 26-year-old has said that he expects to be ready to play in time for Opening Day.
Feb 24 2021Murphy (chest) has resumed some baseball activities but hasn't yet started hitting, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy underwent a pair of surgeries during the offseason to address a collapsed lung, and he's had a slight delay to spring training as a result. Assuming his recovery continues to progress smoothly, the catcher still expects to be ready in time for Opening Day.
Feb 21 2021Murphy (chest) arrived at camp Sunday to go through his physical, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's start to his spring has been slightly delayed after he went through surgery in the offseason to address a collapsed lung. Assuming he passes his physical without issues, he's expected to be ready for Opening Day, although Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports manager Bob Melvin noted Sunday he doesn't expect Murphy to be ready for baseball activities "for a while."
Feb 17 2021Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy will be delayed to begin spring training after the catcher required offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Though Murphy won't be in attendance for the start of workouts, Melvin said he still expects the 26-year-old to be ready to go for Opening Day. Assuming Murphy endures no setbacks in his recovery from surgery, he could take on an even heavier workload behind the dish in 2021 after the Athletics traded his top backup, Jonah Heim, to the Rangers over the winter. Murphy finished with a subpar .233 average in 140 plate appearances in 2020, but he showed above-average power (seven home runs, five doubles) and drew walks at a 17.1 percent rate.
Sep 24 2020Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy plated the Athletics' only run with a solo shot to center field in the eighth inning. The long ball was his seventh this season. Murphy has 14 RBI while slashing .234/.364/.458 on the campaign.
Sep 23 2020Murphy is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past two games and will head to the bench after going 0-for-3 with a run, a walk and three strikeouts Tuesday. Jonah Heim takes over behind the plate for the A's.
Sep 19 2020Murphy isn't in Saturday's lineup against the Giants. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went hitless with two walks and one strikeout over eight plate appearances during his last two games. However, he'll take a seat Saturday with Jonah Heim starting behind the plate.
Sep 15 2020Murphy isn't in Tuesday's lineup against the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy took a seat for Monday's nightcap, and he'll do so once again for the series opener against Colorado. Jonah Heim will start behind the plate Tuesday.
Sep 14 2020Murphy isn't starting the second game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mariners, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will take a seat for the nightcap, allowing for Jonah Heim to get the nod behind the dish in Game 2.
Sep 13 2020Murphy is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy is heating up at the dish, batting .400 with three home runs in 20 at-bats this month. Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and hit eighth.
Sep 12 2020Murphy went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the second game of the team's doubleheader Saturday against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy was out of the lineup for the early game Saturday, but was a key contributor in the second contest. He delivered a two-RBI single in the second inning and came around to score later that frame. Murphy has now reached base multiple times in three of his past four starts, collecting six hits and six walks in that span. Overall this season, he is hitting .247/.374/.449 across 107 plate appearances.
Sep 10 2020Murphy is not in Thursday's lineup against the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has a .214/.353/.429 slash line with two home runs, four runs and five RBI over his last 10 starts. Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and bat ninth.
Sep 8 2020Murphy is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout during Game 1, and he won't be starting both games of the doubleheader. Jonah Heim will take over behind the plate in Game 2.
Sep 7 2020Murphy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Monday's 6-0 win over the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy homered for his second straight game with his second-inning solo shot Monday. He later walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramon Laureano in the seventh. Murphy also hit a two-RBI single in the eighth to provide the Athletics with some insurance runs. The catcher is slashing .231/.341/.423 with four homers, nine RBI and 11 runs scored in 30 games this season.
Sep 6 2020Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Padres. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy's seventh-inning solo shot off Padres starter Garrett Richards got the Athletics within two runs, but that was as close as it got. In the ninth, Tony Kemp pinch hit for Murphy and flied out to end the game. Through 29 contests, Murphy has three homers, six RBI and nine runs scored across 87 plate appearances.
Sep 5 2020Murphy is not in the lineup Saturday against the Padres. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has been the clear primary catcher for the Athletics this season, starting 24 of the team's 36 games thus far. Jonah Heim, who took over the backup job in late August, makes his third start of the year Saturday.
Aug 29 2020Murphy is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the first game and went 0-for-2, so it's hardly a surprise he's on the bench for the nightcap. Jonah Heim will work behind the plate in Game 2 for the A's.
Aug 25 2020Murphy isn't in Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy went 1-for-7 with one RBI and five strikeouts over the past two games, and he'll take a seat Tuesday. Jonah Heim will make his major-league debut at catcher in his place.
Aug 22 2020Murphy is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy will head back to the bench after four consecutive starts behind the dish. Austin Allen will get his routine start at catcher in Murphy's absence Saturday.
Aug 17 2020Murphy is not in the lineup Monday against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy hits the bench for the second time in the last three games and the fourth time in the last eight contests. Austin Allen gets the nod behind the plate in his absence.
Aug 16 2020Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a win over the Giants on Saturday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy did not start the contest, coming on as a pinch hitter for fellow catcher Austin Allen in the sixth inning. Murphy grounded out in his first at-bat, but he led off the ninth inning with a home run to center field to kick off Oakland's comeback from a three-run deficit. The long ball was the first for Murphy since he went deep against the Angels on July 26.
Aug 15 2020Murphy isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Giants. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After catching in the Athletics' 10-inning win Friday, he'll get a breather for the second game of the series. Austin Allen will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
Aug 11 2020Murphy is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started four of the past five games and will head to the bench after going 3-for-14 with one run and one RBI. Austin Allen will work behind the plate Tuesday for the A's.
Aug 9 2020Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Austin Allen will step in behind the plate while Murphy gets some maintenance after catching each of the Athletics' past three games. The rookie has yet to catch fire at the plate through 12 games this season, batting 5-for-30 with 13 strikeouts.
Aug 5 2020Murphy is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started the past two contests and will return to the bench after going 1-for-6 with two runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Austin Allen will bat ninth and catch for Sean Manaea on Wednesday.
Aug 4 2020Murphy went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs in a win over the Mariners on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The rookie catcher had been scuffling badly at the plate prior to Monday's productive night, although that put him in the company of multiple teammates. Murphy had been on base just five times over the first six games in which he logged at least one at-bat, a figure he almost matched in Oakland's offensive outburst.
Aug 2 2020Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Austin Allen will step in behind the plate for Murphy, who had caught the Athletics' previous three contests. The rookie is off to a 2-for-14 start to the season, though one of his hits was a home run.
Jul 28 2020Murphy will hit the bench Tuesday against the Rockies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy sits for the second time in the first five games.Austin Allen will again get the nod behind the plate.
Jul 26 2020Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Angels had cut the Athletics' lead to one run prior to Murphy's sixth-inning blast off of reliever Noe Ramirez. The 25-year-old Murphy seems to be in line for the majority of the playing time behind the dish this year. In 2019, he managed four homers and eight RBI across 53 at bats in a limited role.
Jul 25 2020Murphy is not in the lineup Saturday against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy started behind the plate in the opener but will sit in favor of Austin Allen this time around. The exact playing-time split between the pair remains to be seen, though there hasn't been any indication that Murphy will be anything less than a true starter.
Apr 16 2020Murphy hit .375 (3-for-8) with a double, a home run, two RBI, two walks and two runs across four Cactus League games before spring training was suspended. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The young backstop didn't see his first game action this spring until March 2 after offseason knee surgery, an October meniscal debridement procedure that Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports should help prevent Murphy's left knee issues from resurfacing. The 25-year-old is entrenched as the starting catcher to open the 2020 season after slashing .245/.333/.566 across 60 plate appearances over his first 20 big-league games in 2019.
Mar 10 2020Murphy went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in a Cactus League win over the Rangers on Monday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It was the first round tripper of Cactus League play for the promising backstop, who was eased into spring following offseason knee surgery and didn't see game action until March 2. Murphy, who'll be the starting catcher in 2020, has made good use of his limited opportunities thus far, hitting .375 (3-for-8) over his first 10 spring plate appearances.
Mar 3 2020Murphy (knee) drew walks in each of his two plate appearances during a Cactus League win over the Cubs on Monday. He caught five innings before being lifted for a pinch-runner after his second base on balls. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The projected starting backstop finally got into game action after being eased into spring following a meniscal debridement procedure on his troublesome left knee during the offseason. Murphy complements a solid bat with elite defensive skills, including a rocket arm that gunned down the Royals' Adalberto Mondesi on a steal attempt with a throw clocked at 87.4 mph last season. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Murphy won't return to action until Thursday and will have his usage monitored carefully for the balance of the exhibition slate, which will give the promising duo of Austin Allen and Jonah Heim opportunities to battle it out for the backup catcher role.
Mar 2 2020Murphy (knee) is starting at catcher Monday against the Cubs, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has been brought along slowly this spring after undergoing a minor cleanup procedure for his left knee back in October, but he's finally ready to make his Cactus League debut. The 25-year-old is on track to open the 2020 season as Oakland's starting catcher after hitting .245/.333/.566 with four home runs in 20 games during his big-league debut in 2019.
Feb 28 2020Manager Bob Melvin said Murphy (knee) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Melvin said earlier in spring training Murphy was expected to debut Monday against the Cubs, but he's instead set to see game action a day later. The 25-year-old underwent a minor cleanup procedure on his left knee in October, and the A's are remaining conservative with him. Murphy received his first taste of the majors in 2019 and had a .245/.333/.566 slash line with four home runs in 20 games.
Feb 19 2020Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that he doesn't expect Murphy (knee) to make his Cactus League debut until March 2 versus the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Athletics are bringing Murphy along slowly this spring after he underwent a minor cleanup procedure for his left knee back in October. Murphy hasn't endured any setbacks following the surgery and has been taking part in catching drills since reporting to camp, so he should be ready to go for Opening Day once he gets a few spring games under his belt. After posting an .899 OPS over 60 plate appearances in his first taste of the majors last season, Murphy would offer some intriguing upside in 2020 if he can stay healthy and avoid falling into a timeshare behind the dish.
Oct 10 2019Murphy underwent surgery on his left knee Thursday, but is expected to be ready for spring training, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy had a procedure to fix some meniscus issues, but it likely will not cause him to miss any time in spring training next season. In 20 major-league games this season, the 25-year-old hit four home runs with a .899 OPS.
Oct 2 2019Murphy will start Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against Tampa Bay.
Oct 2 2019Murphy will start Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against Tampa Bay. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy and Josh Phegley had split time behind the plate down the stretch, alternating starts over the final six games. Murphy gets the nod for the critical one-game series, batting ninth.
Sep 25 2019Murphy is not starting Wednesday against the Angels. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has started four of the past five games behind the dish, going 0-for-12 with six strikeouts and two walks during that stretch. Josh Phegley is starting at backstop and hitting ninth Wednesday.
Sep 21 2019Murphy is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The rookie backstop will take a seat after catching Wednesday and Friday, going 0-for-6 with two walks, three strikeouts and two runs scored in those games. He still has a 1.206 OPS since joining the big club, but Murphy will likely continue to work in a relatively even timeshare as the A's look to carefully manage his workload. Murphy missed extended time in the minors this year with knee trouble.
Sep 17 2019Murphy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Royals. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy has been on a tear to start his big-league career, hitting .400/.438/.967 with four homers in his first 10 games. Josh Phegley will start behind the plate in his absence.
Sep 14 2019Murphy is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He is hitting .409 (9-for-22) with four home runs and three doubles in his first eight big-league games, but the A's will continue to give him rest days after he missed significant time with knee injuries this season. Josh Phegley will start behind the dish and hit ninth.
Sep 13 2019Murphy, who is hitting .333 across his first 19 major-league plate appearances, will nevertheless have his workload monitored closely by manager Bob Melvin, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy endured two separate stints on the injured list due to knee issues with Triple-A Las Vegas this past minor-league season, so the Athletics naturally want to be careful with their prize prospect, especially considering he plays a position as physically demanding as catcher. The solid season turned in by veteran Josh Phegley certainly affords Melvin plenty of flexibility in terms of his personnel behind the plate, and the recent return of Beau Taylor on a waiver claim earlier in the week provides Oakland's skipper another quality option.
Sep 12 2019Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Astros on Wednesday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Murphy connected for his fourth major-league homer in the sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit. The rookie backstop has impressively left the yard in three of his last nine at-bats across the last two games, quickly corroborating the power profile he flashed at Triple-A Las Vegas this season wasn't just a byproduct of the Pacific Coast League's hitter-friendly conditions.
Sep 4 2019Murphy will make his major-league debut either Wednesday or Thursday against the Angels, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The rookie backstop was called up immediately upon roster expansion last Sunday and apparently won't have to wait long to make his highly anticipated big-league debut. Murphy worked around a pair of knee injuries this past minor-league season to slash .308/.386/.625 with 17 extra-base hits (six doubles, one triple, 10 home runs) and 30 RBI across 140 plate appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Sep 1 2019The Athletics selected Murphy's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.
Aug 31 2019Murphy will be called up when rosters expand Sunday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Aug 22 2019Murphy (knee) went 2-for-4 with two home runs and a walk after getting activated from the injured list Wednesday with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Aug 3 2019Murphy (knee) is dealing with some swelling but won't have to undergo surgery, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.
Jul 31 2019Murphy reinjured the same knee he had surgery on in May during Tuesday's game for Triple-A Las Vegas, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.
Jul 20 2018Murphy had surgery on his right wrist Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.Murphy will hit the shelf after undergoing surgery on his right hamate bone. The Athletics are hopeful he'll be healthy enough to return to minor-league action before the end of the season.