While the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to withstand Kenley Jansen blowing his seventh save of the season by defeating the San Diego Padres in extra innings to leave Petco Park with a series win, they did so with some concern surrounding Max Muncy.
He was hit by a 94 mph fastball from Matt Strahm in the fifth inning and immediately removed from the game after being checked on by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer. It was the sixth time Muncy has been hit by a pitch this season — three of which have been by the Padres — with two coming in the just-completed series.
The Dodgers later announced Muncy exited with a right wrist contusion. Manager Dave Roberts said the initial examination of Muncy’s injury came back negative. “Which is a sigh of relief for all of us,” Roberts added.
“At this point he’s day-to-day. I know he’s very sore, so we’ll kind of keep an eye on him.”
Muncy, who was in noticeable pain after the win, explained the Padres did not have a fully functional X-ray machine at Petco Park and he would likely undergo further testing on Thursday. That wound up expanding to also seeing a hand specialist.
According to Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA, that did not reveal a fracture:
X-ray on Muncy showed no fracture. Contusion remains the diagnosis.
— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) August 30, 2019
While the Dodgers received positive news, Muncy is still facing additional testing, per Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
Scratch that. Muncy said his diagnosis isn’t final. The X-rays didn’t show a fracture but he’s scheduled to undergo more tests tomorrow.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) August 30, 2019
Prior to the Dodgers receiving the results, Roberts had already indicated Muncy likely would not play in any of the games against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The situation was eerily similar to what the Dodgers experienced with Chris Taylor during their visit to Fenway Park last month. He was hit by a pitch in his left forearm during the late innings and also removed from the game.
With only means available to undergo a fluoroscopy at the nostalgic ballpark, Taylor also received positive news in the immediate aftermath. An X-ray the following day revealed a non-displaced left forearm fracture that sidelined him for nearly six weeks.
Muncy had immediate concern upon being hit. “Same thing I’m thinking right now: not good,” he answered when asked for his first thoughts. “It hurt, he got me good.”
Despite the pain and worry, the 29-year-old did manage to make some light of the situation. “Actually, if I’m being totally honest, my first thought was, ‘At least it wasn’t a strikeout,'” Muncy admitted. “We’re where we’re at right now.
“Everything looks OK for now. Maybe it’s just the bone bruise; we’re going to double-check it [Thursday] and keep our fingers crossed. I mean, there’s going to be a timetable for return but we’re hoping it’s good news.”
