Mariners' Tom Murphy: Productive before getting hook
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Murphy went 1-for-1 with a double and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees before being ejected for arguing a strike call in the sixth inning.
The veteran backstop was upset about a check-swing that was called a strike and was tossed for yelling at the first base umpire. Murphy has logged 66 plate appearances across 21 games while ceding the bulk of playing time behind the dish to Cal Raleigh, and Tuesday marked the third time in his last four starts that he'd reached safely.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Enjoys productive game
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Murphy went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored, a double and a walk in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Rangers.
Murphy was excellent Tuesday, with his seventh-inning blast off Andrew Heaney serving as the highlight. While Murphy doesn't play much as the Mariners' backup catcher, he has multiple hits in four of his last five games. The 32-year-old is slashing .244/.262/.415 through 42 plate appearances.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Playing time sparse
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Murphy, who played for the first time since last Friday in Thursday's loss to the Phillies and went 2-for-3 with a double, has logged only 29 plate appearances and appeared in nine of the Mariners' first 25 games.
The veteran is healthy after appearing in just 14 games in 2022 due to a shoulder injury, but he's seen Cal Raleigh draw 20 starts overall, with 19 of those coming behind the dish. That's left few opportunities for Murphy, and his timing at the plate unsurprisingly seems to be suffering. Even factoring in his first multi-hit effort of the season Thursday, Murphy is slashing just .138/.138/.207.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Gets start at DH
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Murphy is hitting eighth and serving as the designated hitter for Tuesday's tilt against the Angels.
Murphy has gone hitless in his first six plate appearances of 2023, but he does have a history of success versus left-handed pitchers and gets the starting nod against southpaw Jose Suarez.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Returns to lineup Thursday
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Murphy (forearm) is back in the Mariners' lineup for Thursday's Cactus League tilt versus the Reds, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Murphy has had some left forearm tightness this week but is ready to go now. He's in line to serve as Cal Raleigh's backup this season.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Forearm issue is minor
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Murphy (forearm) is expected to return to the Mariners' Cactus League lineup Thursday, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.
Murphy was scratched from the lineup Monday and is not in there Wednesday, but his left forearm tightness has proven to be a minor issue. He should be in the clear to open the 2023 regular season as an active backup to primary Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Scratched due to forearm tightness
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Murphy was scratched from Monday's Cactus League lineup against Milwaukee due to left forearm tightness, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The right-handed hitter was scheduled to catch against the Brewers on Monday, but instead it was Brian O'Keefe who was behind the plate. Murphy has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons, and it's a disappointing development after his strong start to the 2023 Cactus League (.886 OPS, two homers in 34 plate appearances). There should be more clarity on the severity of Murphy's injury in the coming days. If the injury was to carry into the regular season, Cooper Hummel would likely be Cal Raleigh's backup backstop.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Scratched from lineup Monday
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Murphy was a late scratch from the Mariners' Cactus League lineup against the Brewers, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
There's no word yet on the reasoning for the move. Brian O'Keefe will assume Murphy's spot behind the plate Monday.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Solid early in spring training
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Murphy went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks.
Murphy is reacclimating after seeing his 2022 season end in June due to shoulder surgery, and Friday's breakout performance against the Diamondbacks might be considered his official welcome back party after a quiet first three games at the plate. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales, who had Murphy as his battery mate for the first time since last season Friday, is especially excited about getting back what he considers a valuable resource. "He's just an energy source in our dugout," said Gonzales. "He's able to kind of pull the mask down and be really serious, too, which is good. So he knows what I need to do to be successful. And I think even sometimes better than I myself do, and so to have that voice out there is just priceless for me."
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Enters lineup Friday
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Murphy (shoulder) is starting at catcher and batting seventh in Friday's Cactus League opener versus the Padres.
Murphy underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last June, but he appears ready to go for the start of spring training eight months later. The 31-year-old is slated to operate as a depth option behind Cal Raleigh at catcher this season.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Inks one-year deal
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Murphy (shoulder) and the Mariners agreed on a one-year, $1.625 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
The catcher had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in late June, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign. Murphy batted .303 with a solo homer and nine runs scored over 33 at-bats in 14 games with Seattle last season and figures to back up Cal Raleigh.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Murphy (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Murphy's move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural, as the Mariners announced last week that the catcher will require season-ending shoulder surgery. Luis Torrens (shoulder) landed on the 10-day IL on Monday, so Andrew Knapp is on the active roster to serve as the primary backup to Cal Raleigh behind the plate.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Requires season-ending surgery
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Murphy (shoulder) will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Murphy sustained his shoulder injury in early May and suffered a setback several weeks later. The 31-year-old started to ramp up his rehab process recently after being shut down and received a PRP injection, but he'll ultimately require a procedure that will force him to miss the remainder of the season. Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens should continue to serve as the Mariners' top two options behind the dish.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Ramping rehab back up
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Murphy (shoulder) is back to doing work in the batting cage following a temporary shutdown of his rehab process, the Associated Press reports.
The veteran backstop is both batting and catching balls from a machine as he begins to ramp his rehab work following a pause. Murphy had previously been shut down for 10 days due to a lack of responsiveness from his shoulder, so the fact he seems to be increasing his activity level without any reported setbacks is encouraging.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Shut down for 10 days
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Murphy will refrain from participation in baseball activities for 10 days due to a lack of responsiveness from his injured left shoulder, Craig Forde of MLB.com reports. "He's not ready to go," manager Scott Servais said. "As much as he's tried to push it and as hard as he's worked, it just hasn't picked up the momentum it's needed to."
The veteran backstop therefore looks likely to be sidelined until early-to-mid-June at the earliest. Murphy had been enjoying a fruitful start to the season that included a .303 average, .894 OPS and a 19.5 percent walk rate, but he'll be out for at least a couple more weeks and is now likely to need a multi-game rehab assignment before he's deemed ready for activation.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Suffers setback in recovery
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Murphy (shoulder) has suffered a setback in his recovery process, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
The Mariners were hopeful that Murphy would be able to return from the injured list during the team's weekend series in Boston since the backstop recently took swings in the batting cage and caught a bullpen session. However, he won't be back in action this weekend following his setback. It's not yet clear whether Murphy will be in the mix to be activated once the Mariners return home early next week.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Could return for Boston series
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Murphy (shoulder) continues to take swings in the batting cage and is expected to catch a bullpen session Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Manager Scott Servais said he's optimistic that Murphy will be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point during the Mariners' upcoming series in Boston that begins Thursday. Once Murphy is activated, he's expected to form a timeshare at catcher with Luis Torrens. The Mariners will likely send Cal Raleigh to Triple-A Tacoma whenever Murphy is deemed ready to go.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Takes swings Friday
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Murphy (shoulder) took swings in the cage Friday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Murphy has been on the injured list with a dislocated left shoulder for nearly a week, and manager Scott Servais said Friday that the backstop isn't yet feeling 100 percent. The Mariners are currently on a road trip that runs through next Sunday, and Servais indicated that it's possible Murphy will be able to return sometime late in the road trip.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Placed on 10-day IL
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Murphy (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
Murphy suffered a dislocated left shoulder Friday against the Rays, and manager Scott Servais said that the backstop will be out for a while. While a timetable for Murphy's return isn't yet clear, Cal Raleigh was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to provide catching depth behind Luis Torrens.
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Mariners' Tom Murphy: Slated to miss time
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Manager Scott Servais said Friday that Murphy (shoulder) will be out for a while, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Murphy was removed from Friday's loss to the Rays after sustaining a dislocated left shoulder, and the backstop will presumably land on the injured list following Servais' update. Cal Raleigh is a likely candidate to rejoin the major-league club as catching depth behind Luis Torrens.
