Max Muncy was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Monday night due to lingering soreness in his left hamstring, but there is optimism the injury won’t be an issue moving forward.
Muncy was removed in the bottom of the third inning during the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays due to what the Dodgers deemed a left hamstring cramp.
The injury occurred when Muncy ran from first base to second base because of a throwing error. He limped into second base and was checked on by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer before initially remaining in the game.
Muncy advanced to third base on a fly ball to center field and scored without issue on Miguel Rojas’ sacrifice fly, but was replaced in the field.
Roberts said Muncy was due to undergo an MRI prior to the start of their homestand, but that wound up being bypassed.
“We feel good about it. I think it is just a cramp. I guess the doctors looked at it and felt there was no need to get a scan, which is a good thing,” Roberts explained.
“Talked to Max a little bit today, he said there’s some soreness. I think that was related to the needling of his hamstring and kind of working on it, as opposed to the cramp itself.”
Muncy didn’t end up appearing in the series opener against the Washington Nationals, but the hope — and expectation — is he will return to the Dodgers lineup on Tuesday.
“I think it’s going to be a one-day thing,” answered Roberts when asked if Muncy’s outlook was multiple days.
Then after the Dodgers’ win on Monday night, Roberts said Muncy was available to pinch-hit if a key moment arose and would be in the lineup for the second game of the series with the Nationals.
Max Muncy emerged from slump
Muncy was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI prior to coming out of the 11-10 loss to the Rays. He had combined with Chris Taylor to hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, which gave Muncy two long balls and three extra-base hits in his past two games.
That came on the heels of being in a 5-for-37 skid through Friday’s loss at Tropicana Field.
Overall this season, Muncy is batting .208/.340/.530 with three doubles, 17 home runs and 38 RBI. He trails only the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso (20) for the MLB lead in home runs this season.
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!
