Tom Murphy injury update: Mariners shutdown catcher amid tight playoff race

Seattle Mariners catcher Tom Murphy has been struck with another setback on his return to full fitness before the end of the regular season.

The former Colorado catcher has been diagnosed with a small fracture to his left thumb after initially being placed in the injured list in August 16 due to a thumb sprain. Murphy was on the road to recovery after initially suffering from a thumb strain last month.

Tom Murphy started his major league career with the Colorado Rockies in 2015 and evetually found his way to to the Seattle Mariners in 2019. That seemed to be the turning point in his career as he began to excel with the Mariners. However, he has spent a considerable amount of time in the IL over his career.

In Murphy's absence, the Mariners have decided to call up Brian O'Keefe from the minor leagues to replace him. The Seattle outfit is making a solid push for the postseason and the team looks like they are on their way to a memorable year.

O'Keefe is set to be the third player to play catcher for the Mariners after Murphy and Cal Raleigh. Yet, he may just play a big part in their season now.

Tom Murphy can still make his return for the Mariners before the end of regular season

While there is no doubt that Tom Murphy has been cast a bad hand with his latest injury, the Seattle Mariners still have hopes to have him back before the start of the MLB postseason.

He is scheduled for further tests on September 22.

The Mariners face the Texas Rangers in a four-game series to end their regular season at the end of the month, which leaves him with a little time to make it back onto the team, barring any further cause of concern in his X-ray reports.

Until then, he has to remain optimistic and work on getting past this hurdle and return to action as his team makes a push towards the playoffs.