Braves No. 6 Prospect Masterful on Mound in Return From Rehab Assignment

Owen Murphy took the mound for the Rome Emperors Saturday afternoon in what gave off the feel of a homecoming. The Atlanta Braves' No. 6 prospect hadn’t pitched for them since May 14, 2024, when he went down with a torn UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. 

He pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while punching out eight batters. According to Rome’s Broadcast and Media Relations Coordinator, Gavin Booker, Murphy threw 37 of his 54 pitches for strikes, his fastball sat between 92 mph and 93 mph, and his slider sat between 84 mph and 86 mph. The latter pitch was his out pitch for five of his first seven strikeouts. 

He picked up where he left off in his rehab start in the complex league on July 22, where he pitched three perfect innings. 

When the 21-year-old right-hander went under the knife last year, he was in the midst of what was becoming a breakout campaign. In seven starts, he had a 1.54 ERA, a 0.73 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched for High-A Rome.

Murphy was a first-round pick for the Braves in the 2022 draft. The then high school graduate was committed to Notre Dame before deciding to go pro.

"A solid athlete on the mound, there’s confidence Murphy will be a solid strike-thrower in the future, with a repeatable delivery," his prospect profile on MLB.com said. "Because of the timing of the elbow surgery, it’s likely going to be the 2026 season that he’ll be going full-tilt again, and he’ll still be just 22 years old.”

It’s been a solid last couple of days for Braves prospects, especially down in Rome, Ga. On Friday night, the Braves' 2025 second-round pick, Alex Lodise, had a stellar professional debut, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and three RBIs. While these two are further down in the minors, it’s a nice sign of what could be to come for the Braves' future. 

However, there is some promise along with these two up in Triple-A - some more immediate help that could be coming. No. 2 prospect Hurston Waldrep has been dealing as of late after struggling to find his footing most of the season. In four July starts, he’s pitched to a 0.78 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 23 innings pitched. 

No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie is also showing promise in his early starts of his time in Triple-A. He has a 3.94 ERA in three starts and pitched into the sixth inning in two of them. 

Even in the minors, the Braves are still on the mend. Along with Murphy, Ritchie returned from Tommy John surgery relatively recently. That being said, as brutal as this season has gotten for the big league team, there is something to keep track of that provides some excitement. 

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