Unlike last year (and the year before that), the Atlanta Braves' injury issues seem to be subsiding. Knock on whatever wood you can find, but we could see the Braves approaching mostly full strength very soon, but that will require both Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider to continue checking the boxes that they need to on their roads to recovery.
Strider and Murphy are dealing with two very different injuries. Strider looked good in spring training before a mild oblique injury popped up and shut him down. Since the beginning, his absence was likely to be a short one. As for Murphy, his hip injury was much more significant, required surgery, and came with a much longer recovery timeline.
However, the timing worked out where both veterans went out on rehab assignment at pretty much the same time. The good news is that both players seem to be doing everything they need to without any setbacks yet, though that doesn't mean that they will return to the Braves particularly quickly.
Spencer Strider’s full media availability following tonight’s start with the @GoEmperors.
— Gavin Booker (@GavinBookerPxP) April 17, 2026
His final line: 3.1IP, H, 2BB, 3SO, 50P-27S pic.twitter.com/3KDoJjDmp9
Spencer Strider and Sean Murphy are making strides during rehab, but it could still be a while before they are back
At issue here is the difference between healthy and "game shape". By all accounts, neither Strider nor Murphy is feeling any discomfort or soreness that would be a red flag. However, neither player had a full, normal spring training as Murphy has been rehabbing throughout, and Strider's camp was cut short by his oblique injury.
It just takes time to build up to play well for the rest of the regular season. Strider threw 50 pitches in his rehab start and will probably throw close to 65 his next time out. Until he can reliably throw 90-100 pitches without difficulty, Strider will have to keep plugging away. Murphy won't have to catch every day when he returns, thanks to the emergence of Drake Baldwin, but Atlanta will make sure he can catch on back-to-back days for nine innings each. While he is trending in that direction, Murphy just isn't quite there yet.
With a stretch of 10 games straight without a day off coming up starting Friday, it is difficult to forecast exactly when it makes the most sense for Strider and Murphy to return. In theory, Murphy could be back towards the back end of that stretch, although Strider will be a bit after that, if for no other reason, being that his current game cadence doesn't really allow for anything earlier than return at the end of April.