At the outset of the offseason, the Braves made a surprising move to on veteran catcher despite being that theyd planned to exercise the option. Things turned out just fine for dArnaud, who signed a with the Angels shortly thereafter, but the decision came back to bite Atlanta when starting catcher suffered a that will keep him out of action through at least the middle of April. When Murphy mi sed time due to an oblique i sue last year, dArnaud was there to step in as a capable regular option. This year, theyll have no such ready-made answer locked and loaded on the roster. Thats not to say the club has no internal options; youngster is a well-regarded prospect who already seemed likely to make his MLB debut at some point this year, and was already in line to make the roster as the clubs backup catcher. Baldwin has raked this spring to the tune of a .368/.520/.474 slash line, and perhaps thats enough to convince Atlanta bra s to give him the reins for the start of the season while Murphy recovers. However, its hardly a reliable solution to the i sue. Baldwin has yet to take a major league at-bat, and he struggled offensively at the Double-A level just last year before turning his season around upon his promotion to Triple-A. And if Baldwin proves unprepared to handle the big leagues, Tromp isnt a viable starting option. The soon to be 30-year-old backstop has just 59 games and 156 plate appearances under his belt over parts of five seasons in the majors. In that time, hes hit just .232/.237/.397 with a wRC+ of 66. While its not impo sible to imagine more regular playing time in Tomás Nido Jersey the majors allowing Tromp to perform better, 47 catchers produced more offense that Tromps career numbers acro s at least 100 plate appearances in the majors last year. The Braves do have a pair of non-roster invitees in camp who could step in, but neither inspires confidence. didnt play in the majors at all last year, last had even 100 plate appearances in a season back in 2021, and is a career .208/.276/.311 hitter. Fellow NRI has a somewhat stronger track record, having played at least 40 games in the majors every year since 2018 (excluding the 60-game 2020 season where he appeared in 31 games for the Reds), but hit just .194/.293/.250 for the Giants in 125 trips to the plate last year. Given all of the uncertainty facing Atlanta, an external addition cant be ruled out. Its been that the club made an offer to even prior to Murphys injury. While Grandal turned that deal down, it signals the club already had reservations about its catching depth and its at least po sible that the sides could circle back to each other with Opening Day fast approaching and additional playing time having opened up for Grandal. Other options on the free agent market are few and far between. and remain unsigned, but other options could emerge in the coming days as veterans on minor league deals with other teams begin to get the opportunity to opt out and return to free agency. , , and are among the veterans in camp with other clubs who could return to free agency if they dont make their current clubs Opening Day roster. Its also at least po sible that a club with an exce s of catching options on the 40-man roster like the Twins could either make one of their backstops available on waivers or via trade, though trades of particular note are quite rare at this stage of the calendar. While none of the options likely to be available are game changers, they could offer a higher floor than any of Atlantas current options and allow the club to avoid rushing Baldwin to the majors. How do you think the Braves will approach the situation? Will they take Murphys injury as an opportunity to give Baldwin regular playing time and stand pat with their internal options, or will they instead look to upgrade over a potential tandem of Baldwin and Tromp by bringing in a more reliable veteran to help handle the pitching staff? Have your say in the poll below: Will Atlanta bring in a catcher while Murphy is injured? No, they'll stick with who they have in-house. 64.46% (2,497votes) Yes, they'll add someone else to the mix. 35.54% (1,377votes) Total Votes: 3,874 Greg Maddux Jersey