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A's Murphy undergoes left knee surgery

Catcher battled injury all year, expects to be back in the spring
Sean Murphy posted a 1.011 OPS in 41 Pacific Coast League games this season. (Las Vegas Aviators)
October 10, 2019

Sean Murphy is no stranger to shaking off injury. And now, he'll have to do it once more.According to the A's, their third-ranked prospect underwent surgery on his left knee Thursday, which also was his 25th birthday. They expect him to be ready by Spring Training.

Sean Murphy is no stranger to shaking off injury. And now, he'll have to do it once more.
According to the A's, their third-ranked prospect underwent surgery on his left knee Thursday, which also was his 25th birthday. They expect him to be ready by Spring Training.

After being limited to 194 games over his first three seasons due to hand injuries, broken wrists and a staph infection, Murphy battled a torn meniscus in his left knee this season, leading to two stints on the injured list. In his first game off the IL on Aug. 22, Murphy drilled two homers for Triple-A Las Vegas. In total, MLB.com's No. 43 overall prospect batted .308/.386/.625 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in 31 games with the Aviators.

When September rolled around, Murphy was called up to Oakland for his Major League debut. There, the catcher went 13-for-53 (.245) with four long balls, eight RBIs, 16 strikeouts and six walks in 20 contests. In the Wild Card Game, Murphy went 0-for-1 and caught four innings before Seth Brown pinch hit for him.
Murphy was selected in the third round of the 2016 Draft out of Wright State. His 70-grade arm is considered his best tool, but his bat has been drawing increasing attention.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Carter at the Gateway Surgical Center in Phoenix.

Kelsie Heneghan is a reporter at MiLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @Kelsie_Heneghan.