Braves expected to turn to prospect Owen Murphy as pitching spot opens in Atlanta

The Atlanta Braves are expected, according to a report from Yahoo Sports, to call up right-hander Owen Murphy to join the big league club. The timing matters because the Braves appear to be navigating at least one short-term pitching roster problem, with Martín Pérez described as “very likely” to head to the injured list after a forearm injury from being struck by a comebacker, and Carlos Carrasco described as “likely” to receive another designation for assignment. If those moves are carried out, the Braves would have a clearer spot to use now, rather than waiting for a deeper rotation option to appear.

Murphy, a Braves prospect, would represent a quick pivot from the minor leagues to the majors if the call-up becomes official. Battery Power, citing sources, framed the move as part of the organization’s consideration of Murphy as a readiness option, adding that he would be on regular rest, which often influences when a team is willing to promote a starter. In other words, the question is not only whether Atlanta wants Murphy, but whether his current workload profile lines up with the team’s immediate need.

At Triple-A Gwinnett, Murphy has reportedly pitched well enough to make that kind of promotion timing plausible. Battery Power reported that Murphy has thrown 60.1 innings across 11 starts this season, posting a 3.88 ERA and a 4.27 FIP, with a 4.27 FIP corresponding to a 90 FIP- rating in their write-up. Those figures were presented as evidence that he has been more than just a placeholder option and instead could handle the kind of innings-management role a club uses when a rotation slot suddenly opens.

Battery Power also described Murphy’s most recent start as “solid,” noting that the team and the player have momentum at the right time, even if the exact details of that outing were not included in the broader excerpt. The broader point for Atlanta is that a promotion from Triple-A is typically less about a single game and more about whether a pitcher’s run of performance suggests he can translate his pitch-to-contact decisions and run prevention to a higher level of hitters.

Murphy’s potential role, based on the way these reports are framed, would be to stabilize Atlanta’s pitching staff during a period when the big league club is dealing with multiple roster pressures at once. With Pérez’s status tied to a forearm issue that already pushed attention toward the injured list, the Braves would need rotation continuity. With Carrasco described in the report as possibly facing yet another DFA, the Braves’ broader pitching depth picture also becomes fluid.

There is an additional, practical layer to the decision: promotions do not always stick. Even when a team brings a prospect up quickly, it can be a short window if the injured player’s recovery timeline shortens or if another roster move changes the arithmetic. That means Murphy’s first few turns, and whether Atlanta can keep him on schedule without forcing extra bullpen strain, would likely determine whether the call-up becomes a longer look or a brief bridge.

For Braves fans, the next checkpoint is confirmation of any corresponding roster transactions, because the reports describe a likely path rather than a finalized one. After that, the watch becomes straightforward: how Murphy handles major league hitters in the early innings, whether Atlanta allows him to work deep into starts, and how the club balances his development with the immediate need created by Pérez’s forearm situation and Carrasco’s roster status.

Until official game-day or transaction notices arrive, the cleanest way to interpret this development is as a contingency plan becoming reality. If the Braves do make the move, Owen Murphy would be stepping into the majors with a demonstrated run at Triple-A, and Atlanta would be using him as the kind of near-term pitching answer that can keep a contender’s schedule from wobbling too far while injuries and roster decisions play out.