Prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers putting together an eight-run inning, they saw Max Muncy leave shortly after grounding into a double play. The team later announced Muncy came out in of the bottom of the fourth due to right ankle pain.
“I don’t think there was one incident. When he grounded into a double play, ran through the bag, coming back to the dugout and when he was on the infield, just felt something not right with the ankle,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the 9-5 win over the Atlanta Braves.
“He tried to go back out there and take the field, it just didn’t respond well. Day-to-day, I think we’d be more concerned if it was hitting the bag or something like that, but didn’t feel it then. He doesn’t recall any incident, so we’ll see how he feels [Saturday].”
Muncy went 0-for-2 before getting replaced by Matt Beaty, marking a third consecutive game without a hit. He did draw a walk in each of the first two hitless nights.
Muncy has been key figure in the Dodgers lineup over recent weeks, but the team is better equipped now to withstand a potential absence than they were up until last weekend. In addition to Albert Pujols being able to fill in at first base, so too can Cody Bellinger.
Roberts had previously mentioned potentially getting Bellinger an occasional start as a means to easing him back into playing regularly. Bellinger spent seven weeks on the 10-day injured list while recovering from a hairline fracture in his left leg.
Muncy is batting .265/.424/.530 with seven doubles, 13 home runs and 30 RBI this season.
Muncy reaches personal milestone
Muncy’s long ball in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals last week gave him 100 career home runs.
“It’s pretty special. It’s a pretty cool number,” he said. “It’s a lot of home runs in the big leagues and never something I thought I’d get to, especially with how my career started. So for me, it means a lot.”
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