The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players' union allows for up to a three-day absence after being placed on paternity leave. It's sparking a lot of negative talk on New York sports radio.
"You're a major league baseball player. You can hire a nurse,'' Mike Francesa reportedly said of Murphy on WFAN Radio during Wednesday's show. "What are you gonna do, sit there and look at your wife in the hospital bed for two days?"
Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason even said Murphy and his wife should have scheduled a C-section to avoid game conflicts.
Mets manager Terry Collins said the criticism was unfair.
"I'm sure there might be some guy along the way that said, 'Hey, listen, it's too far to go. It's too far to travel. I'll see you in a few days.' But you know what? I certainly feel it's very unfair to criticize Dan Murphy."
Murphy rejoined the Mets in time for Thursday's afternoon game against the Nats.
ESPN has contributed to this report.
