Max Muncy was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Los Angeles Dodgers more than one month ago on May 17, and his return to the lineup remains a question.
The Dodgers recently transferred Muncy to the 60-day IL, making his earliest return after the All-Star break in the middle of July.
On June 15, the Dodgers shut down Muncy from swinging for at least one more week. That time has now passed, and Muncy still hasn’t resumed any work with the bat, Dave Roberts said via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“That was kind of a paperwork that I guess we had to make. It doesn’t change his time to play really,” Roberts said. “He’s still not swinging the bat. He’s working with the med ball, the rotational stuff. He’s moving, running, throwing, taking grounders. All that stuff is in line. But the big variable is swinging the bat and taking live at-bats.
“I remember when it first happened we were even contemplating not even making it an IL for him, he’s going stir crazy.”
Muncy was previously taking dry swings and doing rotational plyometric work with the hope of advancing to batting practice before he was shut down.
Obliques are known for their tricky nature, and injuries to them often keep hitters out for quite a while.
Muncy previously called it the worst injury a position player can have because of how much it limits their ability to work out.
Muncy remains without a timeline for return, and the severity of the injury surprised the Dodgers.
“So honestly, I don’t know a timeline,” Roberts said last week. “But it’s even slower than I think we all expected.”
How the Dodgers have replaced Max Muncy
Without Muncy, Kiké Hernández and Cavan Biggio have seen the majority of starts at third base, but the offensive production has been minimal.
Since Muncy’s injury, Hernández is batting just .181 with four RBI and six runs scored across 24 games. That is part of a larger trend for Hernández, who has been one of the worst hitters in MLB since the 2020 season.
Biggio was acquired on June 12 from the Toronto Blue Jays, and with the Dodgers, he’s hit .238 with one RBI and four runs scored across eight games.
The Dodgers would be wise to add an upgrade to their bench ahead of the trade deadline, particularly one with the ability to play third base.
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