Max

Muncy

The good news is that the MRI exam that he underwent on Thursday didn’t reveal any structural damage and Muncy has plenty of time to return to action and get himself ready for the postseason. Miguel Rojas will handle the hot corner in his absence on Thursday against the White Sox and it seems like he, Hyeseong Kim and Enrique Hernández will share the workload at the position while Muncy is shelved.

Muncy went for an MRI on his injured left knee on Thursday, the results of which are still not yet known. We do know that he’ll miss a couple of weeks at a minimum though. Esteury Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday to take his place on the active roster. Look for the Dodgers to provide more information as it becomes available.

With Muncy potentially needing a trip to the injured list, the Dodgers have placed Esteury Ruiz on the taxi list and Ruiz is currently en route to Los Angeles from Triple-A Oklahoma City. It seems likely that Muncy will be placed on the 10-day injured list and be out through the All-Star break, but more information should be available before the start of the weekend.

Dave Roberts said the team was “optimistic” after initial testing, which is good news. Torn ACLs tend to be easy to diagnose, and the Dodgers should already know whether or not his intact. Either way, Muncy will have an MRI on Thursday and is surely IL bound after putting himself in a really bad spot with Michael A. Taylor sliding headfirst into third base. Hyeseong Kim and Enrique Hernández will likely pick up his at-bats.

This didn’t look good at all. Muncy was down for several minutes, and had to be helped off the field by a trainer, after Michael A. Taylor slid head-first into his left leg while attempting to steal third base during the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium. The 34-year-old third baseman has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past few weeks with nine homers over his last 30 games. An extended absence would be a significant hit to Los Angeles’ lineup and certainly shake up their plans heading towards the trade deadline. There should be an update on his status following the game.

The two-run single on an infield popup was entirely a product of a storm that led to a rain delay immediately after dropping next to a bewildered Michael Toglia. The slam then came an inning afterwards off Tyler Kinley. Muncy has 13 RBI in three games, taking his season total from 38 to 51. It might be more of a case of taking advantage of bad pitching than a sudden resurgence, but no one here is complaining.

Hernández has been dropped to the sixth spot in Los Angeles’ lineup behind Max Muncy, who has been on a tear recently with eight homers over his last 30 games.

Muncy didn’t do anything in the game until the sixth inning when he greeted Jose Ferrer with a 383-foot (103.7 mph EV) grand slam that turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 advantage for the Dodgers. He then capped off a seven-run uprising in the next inning with a 412-foot (106.2 mph EV) three-run shot off of Cole Henry that increased the Dodgers’ advantage to 13-7. Muncy had another seven RBI game against the Yankees just 22 days ago, making him the first player since Ralph Kiner in 1951 to have to games with seven or more RBI in that short of a span. On the season, he’s now slashing .242/.373/.442 with 11 long balls and 45 RBI.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 35-year-old slugger, though Freeman has been playing through a minor quad injury. Max Muncy is also taking a seat with tough southpaw MacKenzie Gore on the hill for the Nationals. Enrique Hernandez will cover first base for Freeman while Miguel Rojas will start at the hot corner and bat ninth for the Dodgers.

Muncy hit .176 with one home run and seven RBI in his first 34 games of the season. At 34-years-old and with a power-heavy profile, it was fair to wonder if this was the end of the line for the Dodgers’ third baseman. Muncy has bounced back with a .306 average, eight home runs and 28 RBI in his last 27 games. He has 16 strikeouts and 18 walks in his most recent stretch compared to 41 strikeouts and 19 walks in his first 34 games. Muncy looks like a new man at the plate and should be rostered in all formats going forward.