Braves get worst possible news with emerging prospect

The brutal hits keep coming for the Atlanta Braves during the 2024 MLB campaign. First, they lose reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending torn ACL on Sunday.

Days later, the club revealed the worst possible information regarding ascending pitching prospect Owen Murphy.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has reported that Murphy will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Braves get worst possible news with emerging pitching prospect, Owen Murphy

As Mayo points out, there was uncertainty about the validity of the initial "buzz" surrounding the severity of the damage in Murphy's UCL. Alas, the news is confirmed to be true -- and the right-hander will likely be sidelined for roughly the next calendar year (if not longer).

Murphy, 20, was dominating for Atlanta's high-A affiliate, the Rome Emperors. He went 4-2 with a dazzling 1.54 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and a 60-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 41 innings pitched. He is the No. 5-ranked prospect in the Braves' farm system.

As if the injury wasn't bad enough, but the timing of it couldn't be any worse. Murphy had been playing the best baseball of his young career, reminding everyone why the Braves spent a first-round pick on him in 2022. 

Atlanta is 31-21, in second place in the NL East and firmly in control of the top Wild Card spot. Nevertheless, morale in Braves Country is low right now. And understandably so, given the circumstances. 

Moreover, we haven't even mentioned the Braves losing All-Star ace Spencer Strider. The right-hander was lost for the season after only two starts because of a right elbow issue that required surgery.

Regardless, the reality of the matter is Atlanta is 10 games above .500, a position most teams would be thrilled to be in. Yes, the injury bug has bitten them to an absurd degree. But they still have plenty of talent on the roster, so don't count the Braves out yet.