Max Muncy has been an MVP candidate for the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout much of the season despite going through an early lull and battling multiple injuries.
One of which was an oblique strain that came on the heels of a mysterious ankle injury. Despite initial expectations that he would not go on the 10-day injured list, the oblique trouble wound up sidelining Muncy for a brief stretch.
He didn’t show any ill-effects of what can be a long-term injury, though there was some minor back tightness over the past few days. Muncy remaining relatively healthy after the oblique injury was related to scaling back.
“There’s not too much I can work on when I’m trying to limit swing,” he recently said. “Just trying to make sure I’m healthy and fresh out there, and not putting my body in a position that I’m going to get hurt. For the most part, it’s just been limiting swings.”
Muncy was particularly mindful of his workload in June, so as to not avoid any sort of setback with his right oblique.
“It feels pretty healthy but it’s just one of those things where muscles can go if you put too much stress on them,” he said. “I’m trying to get out there every single day and play, and in order to do that I’ve got to make sure my body is fresh. It’s just something that the older I get, learning how to limit the amount of work I’ve been doing.”
For Muncy, it all comes down to just making better decisions when he’s practicing so he can remain ready for each game.
“It’s just smarter about it all. It’s not necessarily less, it’s just being smarter how I go about it,” he said.
Part of being smarter about managing his injures played a part in Muncy not wanting to appear in the Home Run Derby even if an invite had been extended.
Muncy enjoyed MVP chants
Although currently going through some struggles at the plate, there was a recent stretch that saw Muncy receive MVP chants at Dodger Stadium.
“That’s probably one of the cooler moments I’ve ever had in my career. It was kind of wild,” he said. “I had to hold back a smile while I was in the batter’s box.”
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