Apr 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy (19) shakes hands with a teammate after the final out of the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Giants Catcher Tom Murphy Claims Team's Medical Staff Mishandled His Injury

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Ryan Boman | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 10:34 AM ET

San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy has been sidelined since this Spring, due to a severe back injury. Originally, he thought that he would return by the end of the regular season. However, the 34-year-old backstop has not recovered, and he claims that the team's medical staff committed "malpractice" in the way they treated they treated him.

Murphy, who signed with the Giants in 2023, has been riddled with health issues throughout his tenure with the club. He hit .118 in 13 games for the Giants before suffering a severe knee sprain that derailed his season. However, his latest malady has been far worse, and the veteran doesn't think the team's doctor and staff treated it in a proper manner.

“That first day of practice, I just kind of felt something weird in my back, and it was tightening, tightening and making it harder to move,” Murphy said. “By the end of practice, we were trying to throw to the bases, and I remember just taking a knee and being like, ‘All right, maybe I shouldn’t throw, this doesn’t seem like it’s a good idea.’ By the end of that session, just watching, I was in complete spasm throughout my back and oblique area.”

“They tried having me do some things that I definitely should not have been doing, and I ended up going into more spasms each time. So I decided to get some more imaging done.

Things Go From Bad to Worse for Tom Murphy

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Murphy says that the staff originally told him that he was suffering from a mild oblique strain, which he believed considering the area the discomfort was at. But his pain began to grow worse, and the true culprit was finally discovered.

“After that, they said, ‘Oh yeah, we do see the herniation there.’ They kind of made it seem like it was there before, but they didn’t think it was an issue.”

Murphy's comments were published by the San Francisco Chronicle on August 30. As of now, the team has yet to release a statement regarding his allegations. It's been widely speculated that the catcher will not return to the team next season, due to his feelings regarding his health situation. He will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 season.