J.R. Murphy is headed to the Electric City.
“Murphy’s outta here, he’s gone to Scranton,” Tony Franklin told me during his post-game media session. “A lot of people think he’s a pretty good player and that it’s time for him to move on.”
The loss of J.R. Murphy to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders is a difficult blow for the Trenton Thunder. After spending his off-season focusing on defense, Murphy has worked very well with Trenton’s pitching staff and become a leader in the clubhouse. Both of these voids will be difficult to replace. For his part, Murphy was surprised by the promotion, especially considering the news came after a twenty-minute, closed door team meeting between Franklin and his players.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it.” Murphy told me. “Hopefully I can take advantage of the opportunity.”
As word of Murphy’s promotion leaked out, speculation began as to when Gary Sanchez will be donning the Thunder pinstripes. Right now, it is safe to believe that he would not be promoted until Monday, after the Florida State League’s All-Star Break concludes. For now, Jeff Farnham has been demoted to Trenton to provide depth behind the plate.
Follow Dan on Twitter at @danpfeiffer74 for all the latest New York Yankees news.
