Max Muncy missed a lot of time in 2024 due to a mysterious oblique injury that lingered and limited to him to being in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for only 73 games.
But when Muncy was on the field, he was a difference make. In his limited appearances, Muncy hit .232/.358/.494 with 17 doubles, 15 home runs and 48 RBI. The .852 on-base plus slugging percentage was his best since the 2021 season.
That carried over to a historic National League Championship Series performance against the New York Mets, but the results outside of that were mixed.
The 2025 season has not been as kind to him so far through 43 games. Muncy’s on-base plus slugging percentage is down to .683 thus far, his walk rate has also declined, while his strikeout rate is up. Muncy also is yet to provide much power with just three home runs.
It took until April 30 to hit his first home run of the season, snapping a career-long streak of 106 plate appearances without one.
Things might be trending up for Muncy now as he’s hit .375/.467/.708 with two home runs, 10 RBI and five walks in the last seven games. Included in that stretch was back-to-back nights with a homer against the Athletics on May 14 and 15.
Muncy has developed a reputation in the Dodgers clubhouse as a player who plays the game with a lot of emotion, but that has often been a double-edged sword throughout his career.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has never doubted Muncy’s effort and preparation this season, but he does want to see a more consistent swing at the plate going forward.
“He’s definitely a wear your-emotions-on-his-sleeve guy. Which can be good, which can be detrimental. I like the edge. I talked to him today about edge, which is good, and not having any type of complacency,” Roberts said.
“He seems to always find himself in a hole at some point in time during the season, but he always seems to dig his way out and get to the other side, which I think right now we’re on the other side of it. I think there’s some confidence in knowing you can get out of it.”
“I just want him to be a little bit more consistent with his swing. I think his mindset has been fantastic this year, I think the intent on defense has been really good. So hopefully he can mechanically stay more sound and consistent.”
Muncy added a single and two walks during Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels to extend his on-base streak to nine games, and has collected 10 of his 23 RBI this season in the past seven.
Max Muncy participates in LADF reading event
The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) in partnership with Andrew and Robin Friedman, hosted its second Storytime of the year this week, as part of the ninth annual L.A. Reads program. Muncy was in attendance as well to read to school children and help pass out books.
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