A tough month of June for Max Muncy continued to get worse as the Los Angeles Dodgers recently placed him on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain.
Muncy had only started three games since injuring his right ankle against the Atlanta Braves on June 4. He then suffered the oblique strain in the series opener against the Texas Rangers last week — during an at-bat he hit a home run in.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts initially indicated Muncy’s injury was relatively minor and he would potentially avoid a stint on the IL.
“It was one of those things where talking to Max and the training staff, if it was going to be a six or seven days, to just err on the side of caution, put him on the 10-day and see where we’re at,” Roberts later explained of the roster move.
“If it progresses like we hope and he’s ready on that 11th day, that’s great. We all felt to kind of play both sides just didn’t make as much sense and (Luke) Raley has performed well. … I think we got it early. He’s done it before in the past, and it’s not as significant as before.”
The stint on the IL also gives Muncy a chance to let his ankle fully heal as he was playing on it while it was still sore.
“The ankle, I think certainly is playable. With this, we just felt if we give it a couple days and then we can re-assess if we have to make that retro move,” Roberts added.
The Dodgers will hope Muncy can return sooner than later as he has been their most productive player this season.
This season, Muncy is hitting .264/.418/.528 with 14 home runs, 40 runs scored, 33 RBI, a 163 wRC+ and 2.7 WAR in 60 games played.
He has resumed some baseball activities and is expected to travel with the Dodgers on their road trip.
Knebel making progress
The Dodgers have been without Corey Knebel, one of their primary setup men, since April 24 after he suffered a right lat strain.
Recently, Knebel said his rehab has been going well during an Instagram Q&A with his wife Danielle Knebel.
Getting him back soon would provide a big boost to a bullpen that has been around league average this season.
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