Max Muncy has been on the 10-day injured list since May 17 because of a right oblique strain. While the Los Angeles Dodgers initially expressed hope that he would only miss the minimum amount of time, that did not transpire.
Not long after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Muncy could soon begin a rehab assignment, he started feeling more discomfort in his right oblique.
The 33-year-old confirmed that he suffered a setback after two encouraging days of infield drills and batting practice, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“It felt great. It felt normal. I was taking ground balls and throwing across the infield and didn’t feel a thing, so we progressed to swinging,” Muncy said Sunday. “I had two good days of full batting practice, where I didn’t feel anything at all. And then the third day, it flared up. It’s one of those things where my body was telling me to slow things down.”
Muncy said there is no timeline on when he will resume baseball activities, noting the tricky nature of an oblique injury:
“We’re just sitting here,” Muncy said. “I don’t think anybody has a timetable, because we can’t really put one on it. [An oblique strain] is probably the worst injury you can have as a position player because you can’t do anything. You can’t strengthen it. You can’t strengthen the area around it. You can’t do anything with the rest of your body because you have to involve your core to do that. You have to just sit and let it heal, and that’s where we’re at.”
Muncy suffered a similar injury during the 2021 season but managed to return after just 10 days. That won’t be the case this time around as Muncy is facing a prolonged absence.
Prior to his injury, the two-time All-Star was batting .223/.323/.475 with eight doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI and a 123 wRC+ in 40 games this season. He is also among the leaders at third base with four defensive runs saved.
How are Dodgers replacing Max Muncy?
The Dodgers have used a rotation of Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas at third base in Muncy’s absence, with Hernández receiving the majority of starts.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
