Daniel

Murphy

The 38-year-old infielder signed a minor league deal with the Angels in mid-June after a stint with the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League. He proved that he could still hit — slashing .289/.369/.353 in 176 plate appearances (mostly at Triple-A Salt Lake), but that came with just one homer, 26 RBI and a 20/20 K/BB ratio.

Murphy’s comeback might just reach the majors later this season. He’s batting .324/.405/.419 with one homer and just 11 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances for the Bees.

Wow. Murphy retired from professional baseball back in 2021 and hasn’t played in the majors since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The 38-year-old infielder launched a comeback this spring with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, and has earned a shot with the Angels after batting .331 with two homers in 37 games.

Murphy called it a career in Jan. 2021 after struggling mightily in 40 games for the Rockies in 2020. It’s doubtful that he’ll make it back to the majors at age 38, but maybe someone will give him a minor league deal if he plays well in indy ball.

“This is a beautiful game, and I really just feel humbled and blessed that it let me jump on the ride for a little bit,” Murphy said to Andy Martino of SNY.tv in a telephone interview on Friday. “It’s beautiful. It can teach you about so many things. And all I can say is, thank you.” Murphy, who will turn 36 in April, saw his career end with a whimper with the Rockies, but he put together a .296/.341/.455 batting line over parts of 12 seasons. He was particularly good from 2016-17 with the Nationals, sporting a .956 OPS with 48 homers, and he’s the only player in postseason history to homer in six straight games. Murphy made three All-Star teams.

Murphy carried a $12 million mutual option for 2021, and the Rockies obviously declined their half of it. He’ll get a $6 million buyout and hit the open market as a 35-year-old coming off a .236/.275/.333 batting line with three home runs and 16 RBI in 40 games. It could be tough for him to find even non-guaranteed minor league offers.

The veteran infielder has just one single in 21 at-bats this month. Murphy is in the last year of his contract and is batting just .235/.276/.336 this season, so it’s no surprise that the Rockies want to get a look at Josh Fuentes at first base. While it seemed at the time of the signing that Murphy landing in Colorado would bear plenty of fantasy fruit, it hasn’t happened.

Murphy came off the bench in the final frame to face Padres righty Craig Stammen mired in a dismal 5-for-40 (.125) slump, dating back to August 14. He came through with a clutch line-drive single to center field, plating Garrett Hampson from second base to send the Rockies home with a much-needed victory. With the win, Colorado trails San Diego by just two games for second place in the NL West and remain firmly in the senior circuit playoff chase.

All four of those hits have been singles, as he’s seen his OPS drop from .996 all the way down to .759 as a result of the dry spell. Perhaps the most discouraging part of it is five of the seven games Murphy has played over that span have come at Coors Field. It’s interesting to note that each of Murphy’s last two starts have come in the designated hitter spot, as Ryan McMahon has played first base in the Rockies’ last three games. If that arrangement continues, it could open up playing time for Brendan Rodgers.

It’s the first day off this season for Arenado, who is hitless over his last three games. Chris Owings is at third base. Daniel Murphy is also sitting out, as Ryan McMahon is sliding over to first base and Garrett Hampson is at second.