The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without Max Muncy since May 15 and his return should not be expected anytime soon as he continues to deal with an oblique strain.
He had been taking dry swings and doing rotational plyometric work recently with a hopeful eye toward progressing to batting practice for the second time in the near future, but that is no longer the case.
While Muncy will continue to complete fieldwork and other baseball-related activities, he is taking another break from swinging.
“Fielding, throwing, running,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered when asked about Muncy’s work.
“And so right now, he’s going to take another week off from swinging. He wasn’t even swinging the bat, but even the rotational plyos. So honestly, I don’t know a timeline, but it’s even slower than I think we all expected.”
An uncertain timeline for Muncy’s return is the last thing that the Dodgers needed with an offense that is about as hot and cold as it gets on a game-to-game basis.
The Dodgers have been treading water without Muncy in the lineup, which has exacerbated their offensive woes during stretches and has highlighted the team’s lack of depth. Muncy’s attempt to recover from his oblique injury has been anything but smooth sailing as he has already dealt with one setback.
In the meantime, the recently-acquired Cavan Biggio has become the de facto starter at third base when a right-hander is on the mound. The trade thus far has not brought immediate results as Biggio has continued to struggle much like he did with the Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s going to become more imperative for the Dodgers that Biggio begins to produce the longer that Muncy remains on the injured list.
Max Muncy’s thoughts on oblique injury
Muncy recently touched on the dealing with an oblique strain and the unique challenges it presents to position players in particular.
Being sedentary is really the only way to recover from the injury and that is especially difficult for position players to navigate. Hitting a baseball is already one of the hardest things to do in sports, and being forced to not swing a bat for extended periods of time can disrupt a hitter’s rhythm.
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