Sean Murphy returns, Acuña Jr. placed on IL and a surprising call-up

A day after the Atlanta Braves announced the devastating news that Ronald Acuña Jr. would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the team made several roster changes.

After missing nearly two months, the Braves activated catcher Sean Murphy from the injured list and placed 2023 MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. on the IL. The team also surprisingly called up outfielder JP Martinez and designated Joey Wendle for assignment. Wendle had just signed with Atlanta on May 24, but he now joins Tanner Roark and Ryan Goins on the Braves ghost roster.

The return of Sean Murphy is huge for the Braves. The 2023 All-Star left Opening Day after taking an awkward hit and has since been sidelined with an oblique injury.

While Travis d’Arnaud has been excellent as a full-time starter, with a 134 wRC+ and good defense, Murphy’s return will give d’Arnaud more rest heading into the summer months.

Interestingly, Chadwick Tromp, who was the backup catcher for the past two months, was not returned to Gwinnett. Tromp has been reliable for the Braves replacing Murphy, and while he hasn’t been close to Murphy’s level of production, he’s worth a 0.3 fWAR in 19 games.

Tromp remaining on the active roster may indicate that the Braves might be willing to occasionally use d’Arnaud or Murphy at DH and push Marcell Ozuna into the outfield.

Ozuna has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season, but has not played in the field except a few exhibition games at first base, since April 2, 2023.

The team also announced that it was bringing in JP Martinez from Triple-A to replace Acuña Jr. as one of the outfielders on the active roster. The Braves acquired Martinez this offseason from the Rangers. The 28-year-old made his MLB debut last season and slashed .225/.250/.325 with Texas in 17 games. This season with Gwinnett, the southpaw slashed .265/.337/.394.

Earlier this month, Mark Bowman of MLB.com wrote that the outfielder has 30-30 potential, but Martinez has hit just three homers this season with a 26% strikeout rate.

Finally, Joey Wendle, who joined the team on Friday, was designated for assignment. Wendle did not appear in a game with the Braves. The team moving away from him could indicate that Austin Riley, who missed the last two weeks, might be ready to play.

These were expected moves and Murphy’s return from injury and Riley’s return will be a huge boost for a team that has continually had wind under its sails. They face the difficult task of surviving without one of their key elements.