Sean Murphy heard the noise, and is playing with something to prove

It took a while to find another bright spot for the Braves outside of Spencer Schwellenbach‘s dominant start to the season, but the return of Sean Murphy has been just what the doctor ordered for a struggling offense.

The Braves All-Star catcher heard all the noise coming into the season after a career-worst campaign a year ago. An oblique injury on Opening Day kept him out of the lineup for several months, and he never found a rhythm once he returned, failing to hit over the Mendoza Line and finishing the year with a .636 OPS, nearly 100 points less than his previous career low.

Folks were dubbing the acquisition, which sent William Contreras and other top prospects away, the worst trade in franchise history, and it was hard to argue. Contreras, who was already an All-Star for the Braves, has blossomed into the best catcher in all of baseball with the Brewers, and while the other prospects have not really amounted to much, they could have been used to upgrade other facets of the roster.

Combine that noise with surging top prospect Drake Baldwin, who many projected could take Sean Murphy’s starting job this season, and the veteran was well aware that 2025 could be a turning point in his career, for better or worse.

Of course, the season couldn’t have gotten off to a more unpleasant start. Murphy took a 95 MPH fastball to the ribs in Spring Training, sidelining him for the first couple of weeks of the season. However, unlike last season, he hasn’t wasted anytime making his impact felt since returning.

Sean Murphy has only played in four games, and he’s already solely responsible for two of the Braves four wins. In his return to Atlanta, his 4 RBIs led the Braves to a two-run victory over the Phillies, and yesterday afternoon, his two home runs gave Atlanta’s offense much-needed life, propelling them to a one-run win over the Rays in thrilling fashion.

Maybe it’s the new shades, or maybe it’s just a really good baseball player finally feeling like himself again. But the Braves needed a spark following an 0-7 start to the season, and Sean Murphy has provided just that in his first week since rejoining the major-league club.