February 9, 2025

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (ribs) had one of his worst seasons in his career in 2024. He slashed .193/.284/.352 with 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 19 runs, and a .285 wOBA across 69 games. The 30-year-old strained his oblique on Opening Day and was out of action until late May. Murphy returned to action but was never able to get going and had career lows in hard hit (36.5%) and expected slugging percentage (.399) while owning a 25.4 K% last season. Murphy is talented enough to be a borderline starting catcher in fantasy leagues, as evidenced by his 56 home runs and 193 RBI from 2021 to 2023. He should also see an uptick in playing time with Travis d'Arnaud signing with the Angels this offseason. ATC projections are expecting somewhat of a bounce back by projecting him with a .233/.326/.417 slash line and 16 home runs over 429 plate appearances in 2025. The former Oakland Athletic is ranked 15th among all catchers in the latest RotoBaller rankings, which aligns with his 219.63 NFBC ADP, making him more of an option in two-catcher formats heading into upcoming fantasy drafts. Update 3/3/25: Murphy will be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a left cracked rib. He is expected to be placed on the injured list and will be out until at least May. This is the second season in a row that Murphy has started the year injured. Expect his draft stock to take a hit with the latest news, but despite the injury, he is a viable option in two-catcher and NL-Only league formats.--Brad Camara - RotoBaller