Braves manager Walt Weiss said Sean Murphy (hip) will begin a rehab assignment on Friday.

Weiss referred to this as “spring training” for Murphy, so don’t expect it to be a short rehab assignment. The goal is to get him “a couple dozen at-bats,” which could mean double-digit games, and he also will not play in back-to-back games from the start. That means it could be late May before we see Murphy back with the Braves. That will cut into Drake Baldwin’s playing time a little bit, but Murphy should be the clear backup at this point.