Mariners catcher Murphy to miss rest of the season after shoulder surgery

OAKLAND — When rest, rehab, a platelet-rich plasma injection and everything else he tried didn’t get his damaged left shoulder strong enough to return to the field, Tom Murphy was left with no other choice but the last option he wanted — surgery.

Before Thursday’s game, manager Scott Servais announced that the veteran catcher has decided to undergo season-ending surgery to repair damage from tearing in the rotator cuff and labrum of his left shoulder.

Murphy has been dealing with the left shoulder problems for the past few seasons. He’s had the shoulder dislocate either completely or partially a handful of times over the last season.

The most recent dislocation came on May 6 while trying to tag a runner at the plate at T-Mobile Park. Murphy walked off the field immediately after the play, cradling his arm.

An initial attempt at comeback a few weeks later ended when he felt some discomfort while hitting off the tee.

“He tried to everything he could to get back,” Servais said. “He did a number of different treatments to try to get it back and going. It just wasn’t taking. It was time for him to shut it down, which is hard for him.”

After riding the shuttle from Class AAA to the big leagues with the Rockies for several years, Murphy seemed to have found a permanent big-league home when the Mariners acquired him just before the 2019 season.

Splitting time with Omar Narvaez in a platoon role, Murphy had a breakout season, posting a .273/.324/.535 slash line with 12 doubles, a triple, 18 homers and 30 RBI in 75 games. The Mariners decided to trade Narvaez after the 2019 season and went into 2020 with Murphy expected to be the primary catcher.