Braves Top-5 Prospect Dazzles in First Rehab Start

Owen Murphy made his return to live action with a start with the FCL Braves in the complex league. The Atlanta Braves No. 5 prospect pitched three perfect innings while striking out five. Three of those punch outs came when he struck out the side in the first inning.

No stats are available on MLB Gameday for his pitch count or what rate he threw his pitches for strikes. However, according to Baseball Prospectus' Gaurav, Murphy generated 10 whiffs using a combination of his fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. The velocity on his fastball sat between 90 and 94 miles per hour, which, according to Gaurav, is about where it was last season before the injury.

The stats on hand tell more than enough. Murphy looked good in his return. His start was impressive enough that reports indicate that he could make his next start with High-A Rome, where he was pitching previously, or he could potentially be promoted to Double-A Columbus for the first time. He did not pitch in Mississippi. He would be set to make his Double-A debut in that case.

The 21-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last year in the midst of what looked like a breakout campaign. In seven starts, he had 1.54 ERA, a 0.73 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched for High-A Rome. At the very least, he's picking up right where he left off.

Murphy was a first-round pick for the Braves in the 2022 draft. The then high school graduate was committed to Notre Dame before deciding to go pro.

"A solid athlete on the mound, there’s confidence Murphy will be a solid strike-thrower in the future, with a repeatable delivery," his prospect profile on MLB.com said. "Because of the timing of the elbow surgery, it’s likely going to be the 2026 season that he’ll be going full-tilt again, and he’ll still be just 22 years old.

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