Braves Sean Murphy Sharp Early in Rehab Assignment, How Ready Is Acuña?

It's only been a couple of games, but the Atlanta Braves can already be more confident in Sean Murphy's recovery.

Following a hitless game that included a walk on Saturday, he picked up two hits on Sunday, including an RBI double. His first hit was a soft fly ball that found a hole in right field, but the double in the bottom of the seventh was lined to right-center field, with the ball landing just shy of the warning track. The exit velocity was 103.9 mph.

During his previous rehab assigment, he went his first seven games without a hit. It didn't matter if he was facing Single-A or Triple-A pitching. He couldn't muster anything.

It shows that he's that much further removed from the hip injury that cost him the final month of last season and the first couple of months of this season. It's also clear that the couple of extra weeks beyond the minimum recovery to t reat the finger fracture were a wise choice, too.

This is a point that has been made from time to time already, but a truly healthy Murphy is capable of doing some damage, though he can still be feast or famine at times. Before his hip gave out, he had 16 home runs across 59 games. Through 63 games, he had an .847 OPS.

Previous track record can't fully determine what he'll be able to do when he gets back this time around, but it's at least something to keep in mind. We'll see how he looks with a couple extra months of workouts, even if much of that was with him wearing a cast on his left hand.

Acuña Feeling Ready to Go

Following Sunday's action in Gwinnett, Ronald Acuña gave a vote of confidence as he addressed the media. Part of it was simply saying, "I'm ready to go."

Ronald Acuña Jr. after Saturday’s game with Gwinnett. “I’m ready to go.” Monday in New York could be the day. pic.twitter.com/o4d90xnues
— Ken Sugiura (@ksugiuraajc) July 25, 2026

Stats-wise, it's been a slow rehab assignment for Acuña. He's had no trouble getting on base, posting a .375 OPS. However, all five of his hits have been singles with no extra-base hits, and he's batted in a single run and stolen a single base.

As long as he's able to get on base, then the Braves may be comfortable getting him back in the lineup. If on base, it gives the team more opportunities to score runs. That being said, he may not set the world on fire right away if he's back on Monday.

Acuña has been recovering from a left hamstring strain since June 9. It's his second time on the injured list for the same injury this season.

There was speculation that he would return during the weekend series in Baltimore, but that proved on to be the case. Confidence is high that he'll be back on Monday when the Braves are in New York.

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