Daniel Murphy could be ready for Opening Day

Daniel Murphy made his way around the blue curtains and benefitted from the open space in front of him more than any of his predecessors. He was on crutches, so a clear, wide path behind all the hoopla happening out front at Nationals Winterfest helped him make his way to a chair to sit for his interview session. He was the only player Saturday to grab one of the gray chairs and smile up at the media.

Murphy is eight weeks out from dual procedures on his right knee. One was a cartilage debridement in order to fix what he called a “crack” in the cartilage. The other was microfracture, which is a disarming term in the world of athletics. A microfracture procedure creates holes in bones in order to promote blood flow to a damaged area. Unlike other surgeries — like ACL repair — it takes the patient off their feet. Murphy was not allowed to put weight on his right leg for six weeks. Being non-weight-bearing can deliver multiple symptoms, such as atrophy, stiffness and not being able to pick up your 3 ½ year old when he wants to play.

“My son was none too pleased,” Murphy said.

Murphy is not sure if his knee issue was the result of something acute or accumulated. He said it was most prevalent the final three games of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, which the Nationals lost in five games and during which Murphy hit .211.

He also is not sure of a timeline for his return. Murphy declined to specify a target — not Opening Day, not midway through spring training — saying that if a date is suggested then missed, the media gets “fishy” when that happens.

However, his new manager, Dave Martinez, stepped back from the generalizations he used last week during the winter meetings, when he said Murphy was simply “on schedule.” Martinez said Saturday that Murphy “feels like he’s going to be ready for Opening Day (March 29) and that’s what we’re pushing for.” Then, he added the standard caution.

“Hopefully, we get him back for that,” Martinez said. “If we don’t, then we got pieces to keep us afloat until he gets back. But I can’t wait until he’s fully healthy.”

Murphy, a 32-year-old three-time All-Star, is going into the final year of his three-year contract with the Nationals. He said Saturday that he’s not thinking about his contract status. He also said he moved into thinking about 2018 faster because of the surgery.

Typically, he would take time to reflect on the prior season. This offseason, once an MRI showed that his knee pain was more than the built-up nicks from a baseball season, Murphy needed surgery and a rehabilitation timeline. That pushed his thoughts quickly to next season.

He talked to old friend Justin Turner of the Dodgers, who had a similar surgery in the past, about how to handle it. Washington’s executive director of medical services, Harvey Sharman, went to Jacksonville to visit Murphy after the surgery. Sharman told Murphy that Murphy’s knee is in a good position eight weeks after surgery. That was welcome news.

Murphy’s former hitting coach in New York, Kevin Long, was hired during the offseason. That, too, pleased Murphy.

Multiple people have told Murphy he will be healthy if he is strict in his recovery process. So, that is also a positive to pocket.

But, none of that changes the laborious process in front of him.

“I’ll be ready to play when it tells me I’m ready to play,” Murphy said.