A rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series went in favor of the Milwaukee Brewers, but of greater concern for the Los Angeles Dodgers is Max Muncy’s health.
Muncy was removed from the series opener at American Family Field after being hit by a pitch in the right hand/wrist area during the eighth inning. Muncy let out an audible yell that could be heard over the SportsNet LA broadcast, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and head athletic trainer Thomas Albert rushed out of the dugout to check on him.
Muncy’s right hand continued to shake during some of the manual tests and it initially appeared he would remain in the game. However, Muncy turned around from heading toward first base and walked off the field.
“We took an initial X-ray, was negative,” Roberts said on SportsNet LA after the game. “Which is great. I think it got enough of that pad to protect it. He’ll be down for the next couple days just to make sure we get that swelling out, but I think right now, we’re breathing a sigh of relief. It was kind of the wrist, that little bone area.”
The 35-year-old has dealt with similar situations over each of the last three seasons. In 2023, Muncy was hit by a pitch in his left wrist but an X-ray was negative. In Spring Training of 2024, he also avoided injury despite being hit by a pitch in his left hand.
Then last September, Muncy shook off getting hit in the right forearm and was back in the lineup the next game.
What a Max Muncy injury would mean for Dodgers
Muncy went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in the Dodgers’ 5-1 loss. He had a particularly consequential at-bat that ended on a pop-up with the bases loaded for the third out of the fourth inning. Muncy stranded two more runners in the sixth inning when he lined out to right field.
If Muncy is going to miss an extended period of time, the Dodgers lineup would suddenly lose one of their more relied-upon hitters. Even when the left-handed slugger is mired in a slump, like at present time, Roberts and teammates consistently praise Muncy for his quality at-bats.
When Muncy was recovering from a right oblique strain during the 2024 season, the offense going into a collective struggle was traced back to his absence by Roberts.
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