Max Muncy returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Monday for the first time in nearly a month because of a Grade 1 right oblique strain.
The 35-year-old has been one of the Dodgers’ most productive hitters this season, and they particularly struggled while he was on the 10-day injured list.
Muncy understands how important he is to the team but also doesn’t want to place added expectations on himself.
“I wanted to be back sooner, but obviously that’s just not a realistic option sometimes,” Muncy said. “So for me, it’s trying to not put pressure on yourself.
“What they need is for me to be myself, and not try to do anything outside of what I usually do in baseball game. It’s trying to understand that, and just let everyone else get back to being themselves.
“Trying to get the focus back and just take it one day at a time. Obviously it was a tough road trip for the guys. I was watching every single inning, and it’s a tough one to come back from when there’s no off day. That’s why I’ve always said we’ve got to keep our focus one day at a time.
“For us, we have to focus on today, prepare for today, how we’re going to beat the pitcher today, what we’re going to today to help this team win. If we get an entire group of guys buying into that, I’m going to feel pretty good about our chances.”
The Dodgers went 11-11 during Muncy’s most recent stint on the IL. He also missed time earlier this season due to a bone bruise in his left knee.
When healthy, Muncy has been a force in the Dodgers lineup. He’s hitting .252/.383/.479 with 10 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 64 RBI in 91 games this year.
Max Muncy: Dodgers need to ‘worry about ourselves’
Muncy couldn’t pinpoint why the Dodgers struggled during his absence but believes they need to turn the page and only focus on the present.
“It’s one of those things where when you’re not with the team, you don’t know what’s going on inside the clubhouse,” Muncy began.
“You try to talk to guys, but you never really know unless you’re there. So for me, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. It’s definitely one of those stretches that’s gone on for a while.
“Time is running out to come out of it, so again, that’s where to me, I think the biggest thing for us is try to get the focus back on what’s going on today. What happened this last week doesn’t matter, what happened two months ago doesn’t matter.
“What matters is what are we going to do today? The only team we need to be worrying about is ourselves. We don’t need to be worrying about anyone else. We just need to worry about ourselves.
“What can we do to get our guys out there and put our best foot forward, put the best plan forward to win this game tonight.”
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