Giants' Tom Murphy: Limited to rehab for next two weeks
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Murphy will receive a second epidural shot this week to address a mid-back disc herniation and will be limited strictly to rehab work for the next two weeks following the injection, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Murphy can safely be ruled out from being ready for Opening Day, which had already been expected after he had yet to appear in any Cactus League games before being diagnosed with the disc issue in late February. Given that he missed most of the 2024 season after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee, Murphy will likely be eased along slowly in his rehab program for his back injury once he's cleared to resume baseball activities. With Murphy set to begin the season on the shelf, Sam Huff or non-roster invitee Max Stassi could break camp as the Giants' No. 2 catcher behind Patrick Bailey.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Starts light rehab activities
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Murphy (back) began light rehab activities Friday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury Newsreports.
Murphy has a mid-back disk herniation and is facing a fairly lengthy rehab process. The veteran catcher will begin the season on the injured list, leaving Sam Huff and Max Stassi competing for the backup role behind Patrick Bailey.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Herniated disk in back
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Murphy has been diagnosed with a mid-back disk herniation and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Murphy was given an epidural injection and will be re-evaluated in a few weeks. The 33-year-old entered camp as the favorite to be the Giants' backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey, but now Sam Huff and Max Stassi will compete for that gig. The Giants have also promoted Adrian Sugastey from the minor-league side of camp to supplement their catching depth.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Tending to oblique strain
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Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is dealing with a mild oblique strain and is expected to return to game action in 7-to-10 days, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Giants had initially labeled Murphy's injury as back spasms, but an MRI detected the oblique strain. Though Melvin is referring to the oblique strain as minor, Murphy still looks set to miss multiple workouts before making his Cactus League debut. The veteran backstop had been limited to just 12 games with the Giants in 2024 due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before the oblique issue cropped up.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Dealing with back spasms
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Murphy will undergo an MRI on Sunday after experiencing back spasms, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
It's not believed to be a serious injury, but it's still a concerning development for the veteran catcher, who was limited to 12 games last season due to a knee injury. Murphy is expected to serve as San Francisco's No. 2 catcher this season, but he has played in just 64 contests across the past three campaigns.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Cleared for spring training
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Giants manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Murphy (knee) has received full clearance to begin spring training, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Signed to a two-year, $8 million contract last winter, Murphy had most of his first season in San Francisco wiped out after he sprained the MCL in his left knee in early May. He was able to avoid knee surgery, but Murphy didn't make enough progress in his recovery to head out on a rehab assignment at any point after landing on the injured list. With a full offseason to recover, Murphy finally looks to have healed up from the knee injury, and he should be in position to open the season as the Giants' No. 2 catcher. The right-handed-hitting Murphy could end up filling the short side of a platoon behind the plate with the switch-hitting Patrick Bailey, who was far more effective against righties than lefties in 2024.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Likely done for 2024
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Murphy (knee) has yet to resume catching and isn't expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list before the season ends Sept. 29, Evan Webeck of the East Bay Times reports.
Murphy has resided on the IL since May 5 with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Though he avoided surgery and was expected to make a full recovery from the injury in six weeks, Murphy has been a slow healer, with the knee injury still presenting too much pain for him to resume squatting behind the plate. The knee sprain hasn't kept him from hitting, throwing and running, but the Giants aren't keen on activating the 33-year-old if he's available only as a designated hitter or pinch-hitting option. Murphy said that he expects to be ready to resume catching in spring training after getting a full offseason of recovery.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Begins hitting, running
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Giants manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Murphy (knee) has begun a hitting and running progression and could be an option to return from the 60-day injured list in September, MLB.com reports.
Murphy has been on the shelf since May 5 with a left knee injury that was categorized as between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprain. The backstop hasn't recovered from the injury as quickly as anticipated, but he seems to be responding better after visiting Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles in late July and receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection for the knee. The Giants likely won't be able to pinpoint a more precise target date for Murphy's return until he's cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.
Giants' Tom Murphy: Catching live bullpen Saturday
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Murphy (knee) will catch a live bullpen session Saturday in San Francisco, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Murphy will likely be joined by right-hander Keaton Winn (elbow) for Saturday's session. Murphy was transferred to the 60-day injured list May 15 due to a sprained left knee, and it took a month before the 33-year-old catcher could resume baseball activities. Saturday's session is another step in Murphy's rehab program, and he could return to the Giants before the All-Star break barring any setbacks. He appeared in 13 games prior to his injury, going 4-for-34 with one home run and two RBI.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Resumes baseball activities
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Murphy (knee) has been taking batting practice and throwing out to 110 feet as of last week, MLB.com reports.
Murphy was seemingly cleared to resume baseball activities earlier this month, but he likely still has a few checkpoints to hit in his recovery from a left knee sprain before the Giants clear him to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 33-year-old backstop is currently on the 60-day injured list and won't be eligible for activation until the first week of July.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Giants transferred Murphy (knee) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
Murphy was given a 4-to-6-week recovery timeline when he landed on the injured list May 5 due to a sprained left knee. However, his move to the 60-day IL will make him ineligible to return until July 4. The Giants signed Curt Casali on Wednesday to fill Murphy's spot on the 40-man roster and provide emergency catcher depth with Patrick Bailey (concussion) also out.
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is expected to be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks after being diagnosed with a left knee sprain, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Murphy suffered the injury during Saturday's game versus the Phillies and landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. With Patrick Bailey (concussion) on the 7-day IL at least for the next few days, the Giants are down to Blake Sabol and Jakson Reetz as their catching duo.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Lands on injured list
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The Giants placed Murphy on the 10-day injured list with a left knee sprain Sunday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Murphy suffered the injury during Saturday's contest and is now on the injured list after an MRI revealed a sprain. Patrick Bailey (concussion) is also unavailable, leaving Blake Sabol and Jakson Reetz, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, to handle catching duties.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Evaluated for left knee injury
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Murphy is being evaluated for a left knee injury after exiting Saturday's game versus the Phillies, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Murphy tweaked the knee as he tracked down a wild pitch in the second inning in rainy conditions in Philadelphia. He's the second Giants catcher to go down in a day's time, as Patrick Bailey was just placed on the 7-day concussion injured list, though the extent of Murphy's injury remains uncertain. Blake Sabol took over for Murphy on Saturday.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Exits with apparent knee injury
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Murphy was removed from Saturday's game versus the Phillies in the second inning with an apparent knee injury, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Murphy seemed to tweak his knee as he chased down a wild pitch. The Giants already put Patrick Bailey on the 7-day concussion injured list earlier Saturday and may now have lost another catcher. Blake Sabol, who was recalled to replace Bailey on the roster, took over behind the dish for Murphy on Saturday.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Getting MRI on knee Sunday
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Murphy (knee) will undergo an MRI on Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Murphy said he felt a pop in his left knee while trying to block a wild pitch in Saturday's loss to the Phillies. It's an injury that forced him from the game and Murphy admitted after the contest that his concern level is high. With Patrick Bailey (concussion) also sidelined, the Giants are down to one healthy catcher on their 40-man roster in Blake Sabol.
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Giants' Tom Murphy: Swats first homer
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Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday in a loss to the Red Sox.
Murphy put the Giants on the board with a 407-foot solo blast in the third inning, but the team ended up scoring just once more in the contest. The long ball was the first of the season for the backstop, who has struggled to a paltry .100/.206/.233 slash line through 35 plate appearances. Murphy is firmly behind Patrick Bailey on San Francisco's catcher depth chart.
