Braves Release Sidearm Top Player Due To…
The Braves have released right-hander Penn Murfee, reports Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The move clears a spot on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. Murfee was claimed off waivers back in November, non-tendered a few days later, and then re-signed to a major league contract just weeks after that. The sidearming righty posted excellent numbers with the Mariners in 2022-23 but underwent a season-ending UCL procedure late last June and figures to miss considerable time in 2024 as a result.
Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, though the Braves could’ve placed him on the major league 60-day injured list if they wanted to open a 40-man roster spot and keep Murfee as a possible down-the-road option in 2024. It’s possible Atlanta will look to quickly re-sign Murfee to a minor league deal so he can continue his rehab process with them, but today’s move ensures that he’ll have the opportunity to at least speak with the game’s other 29 clubs and see if he feels there’s a better opportunity elsewhere.
The 29-year-old Murfee made his big league debut with the 2022 Mariners and came out of nowhere as a quality middle-innings option. The former 33rd-round pick had never been a particularly prominent prospect within Seattle’s system and posted fairly nondescript numbers up through 2021 in the minors. His MLB debut campaign featured 69 innings of 2.99 ERA ball, however, and Murfee fanned an impressive 27.9 percent of his opponents against a very sharp 6.6 percent walk rate.
Murfee looked like the next in a long line of high-end Mariners relievers to emerge from obscurity. He opened the 2023 season with 14 innings of 1.29 ERA ball, albeit with a massive uptick in walks (17.2 percent). His already below-average fastball velocity dipped to an average of 88.1 mph, and Murfee twice landed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation in the season’s first couple months. By June 27, he’d been diagnosed with enough UCL damage that surgery was recommended.
It’s not clear just when Murfee will be cleared to return the mound. He unsurprisingly hasn’t pitched in a spring game while working through the rehab process. A return at some point late in the 2024 season seems feasible, provided he’s able to avoid any setbacks. The right-hander has 1.169 years of MLB service, meaning he can be controlled at least five more seasons, and he also has all three minor league option years remaining.
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Braves Spring Training Updates: Sean Murphy sends two baseballs into orbit against Red Sox.
Opening Day inches closer as Spring Training approaches its close. It’s been a rather uneventful Spring for the Atlanta Braves and that’s a good thing. Fans had an early injury scare with their MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. but things ended up being fine and crisis was averted.
Sean Murphy decided he would begin the final week of Spring games with a flourish. Atlanta’s catcher is coming off an impressive season that saw him earn his first All-Star Game appearance. He regressed in the second half but still helped the Braves with great play behind the plate.
Murphy decided it was time to provide fans with rocket launches as he absolutely obliterated a couple of baseballs against the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. Both balls were no-doubt home runs to left field.
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford couldn’t figure out a way to get Murphy out early on. The Braves catcher launched the first pitch he saw from the youngster into left-center field, giving the team a 3-0 lead over Boston.
wever, in the fourth inning, Murphy hammered a ball out of the stadium. You don’t even need to see the clip to know he got all of the baseball. It was a loud crack off the bat on a 1-2 count and sailed right over the right field seats.
NASA may need to be on notice for a ball in orbit. I mean, you couldn’t find a better rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. Even Boston’s commentators were in awe of how far the ball was hit. Both pitches he hit out were cutters that caught too much of the plate up in the zone. That’s not a spot you want to miss with Sean Murphy.
Murphy started slow in Spring Training but if this is him ramping things up into the regular season, watch out. Sean already hit a career high in home runs in 2023 and it appears he may want to try and match or better that total in 2024.
Right now, Fangraphs ZiPS projections have Murphy with a .254 average with 106 hits including 22 home runs and 72 RBI. So, his projections don’t indicate a massive drop in performance. It will be yet another exciting season for the Braves backstop. Hopefully with more exciting moments like he provided fans on Sunday.
he Twins’ problems in North Port extend well beyond this spring, however. They have never won a game in the Braves’ five-year-old hold, going 0-11-1 with 11 consecutive losses since managing a 4-4 tie in their first trip here in 2020. They have been outscored 62-23 here, and been shut out five times. By contrast, the Twins are 5-5 against Atlanta in Fort Myers over that span.
Fortunately, none of it counts once the regular season begins, so the Twins were able to see good signs in Bailey Ober’s outing. The righthander allowed only four hits while striking out six in 4⅓ innings. They accounted for four runs, however, because Marcell Ozuna slugged a three-run first-inning home run into the Twins’ bullpen in left-center, and Austin Riley drilled a third-inning fastball onto the berm in left field, a solo shot.
“A couple of things to clean up,” Ober said after his 78-pitch outing, “but I feel good. I feel ready to go.”
The Twins, now 8-19-3 in the exhibition season, play their final game Tuesday in Hammond Stadium against the Braves, then fly to Kansas City that night to prepare for Thursday’s season opener.