Braves Promote No. 6 Prospect to Triple-A

The Atlanta Braves are giving one of their top prospects his first taste of action at the Triple-A level

The Braves give another top prospect a chance to get reps in Triple-A | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Another Atlanta Braves prospect has received his next promotion. Right-hander Owen Murphy, the system’s No. 6 prospect, is heading to Triple-A. The Columbus Clingstones announced the move on social media. 

As part of the announcement, No. 9 prospect Lucas Braun is making his way back to Gwinnett. This will be his debut at the highest level of the minor leagues. It’s a season full of firsts, as his debut at the Double-A level came on opening day.

He was part of the Braves’ big league camp in spring training, making two appearances before heading to minor league camp. This is expected to be a full, healthy season for him. He made his return from recovering from Tommy John surgery midway through last season, pitching for High-A Rome.

In his Double-A debut, he struck out 10 batters to get the season underway. Since then, he’s battled inconsistencies. Sometimes, he has gotten through five innings while limiting the damage to a lone run. Other times, he’s been pulled before completing three innings. 

Overall, he has a 6.10 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. Based on the numbers, it’s a surprising move to get him up to Triple-A. Perhaps he’ll stay up there. He may see some action and then head back to Columbus. Both are realistic moves, so we’ll have to see.

Didier Fuentes was called up earlier in the day to fill in for Dylan Lee, who is on the paternity list. When Fuentes heads back to Triple-A, Murphy could potentially head back to Double-A at that time. We’ll have to see how it plays out. 

Braun started the season with Gwinnett, but has gone back and forth a couple of times already between there and Columbus. This most recent stint in Double-A was short, as his last start wasn’t even at that level. It came in Triple-A. With the Stripers, Braun has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP across four starts. 

The Braves, meanwhile, are set to start their series with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Martín Pérez is back on the mound for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch.

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