Braves Notes Strider Murphy Alle

Its been a tough start to the season for the Braves, who only won their first game of the season last night. On top of their struggles in the standings, the lineup lost when he was hit with an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test while the rotation will be without right-hander for the foreseeable future as the hurler is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery. Brutal as the start of the season has been for fans in Atlanta, however, there is light at the end of the tunnel. not only that right-hander is scheduled to make a rehab start at Triple-A Dakota Mathias Jersey this coming Thursday, but that it could be his final outing before he returns to the majors. A healthy and effective return to the big league rotation would be a game changer for the Braves, particularly after Lopezs recent injury. While reigning AL Cy Young award winner and young righty are both excellent starters, beyond that duo the club is currently relying on converted reliever and a pair of youngsters with hit-or-mi s track records as big leaguers in and . A more established pitcher would be very welcome, and Strider is more than simply established after he finished as the runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 before earning an All-Star appearance and a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young award voting the following season. Striders career 3.47 ERA is merely above-average (123 ERA+), but it belies his otherworldly 36.9% strikeout rate and 2.56 FIP, both of which place him among the very best pitchers in the entire sport. It would be unreasonable to a sume that Strider will be able to provide that peak production this year given the number of players who have struggled while shaking off the rust of a long layoff. Nonethele s, even a somewhat diminished Strider is likely a front-of-the-rotation caliber, and the hurlers 46.7% strikeout rate and 1.08 ERA through two rehab outings certainly dont reveal any obvious signs of rust. Strider isnt the only notable player who could be returning to the roster soon for Atlanta. Catcher is scheduled to make a nine-inning rehab appearance at Triple-A tomorrow. , that could be his final rehab outing if all goes well, with Murphy returning to the Atlanta lineup on Tuesday against the Phillies. It would be a huge boost to the Braves if Murphy were able to return so quickly after suffering a fractured rib last month. While his 2024 season was derailed by injury and saw him struggle when healthy enough to take the field, Murphy is not far removed from being considered the games best catcher and would be a huge boost to a struggling Atlanta lineup if he were to hit to even his career .233/.329/.429 slash line, to say nothing of the star-level offense he posted during the 2022 and 23 seasons. The return of Murphy to the lineup will likely spell the end of top catching prospect s first stint in the big leagues, as hes gone just 2-for-22 with three walks and five strikeouts through six games in the majors. While thats not a sample size worth drawing any conclusions from, it would hardly be a shock if the club decided Baldwin was best served getting regular at-bats at Triple-A and opted to use as their backup catcher going forward. With that being said, the club did recently add catcher to their 40-man roster in a trade with the Pirates and could therefore designate Tromp for a signment and still have a third catcher in the fold even if he were to depart via waivers or free agency. That could at least leave the door cracked open for Baldwin to backup Murphy in a larger role similar to the one held last year. In other Braves news, recently suggested that there could be a shakeup at shortstop coming down the pipeline for the club. was initially acquired to serve as a bench bat, but hes hit a solid .333/.375/.400 so far while playing strong defense to this early point in the regular season. That strong early showing in conjunction with a lackluster spring from and his dreadful (2-for-13 with five strikeouts) start to the season could create an opening for Allen to seize a larger role with the club, particularly if the clubs early season struggles continue for longer than the seasons first week. Zhaire Smith Jersey