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Max Muncy was helped off the field after sustaining a bone bruise July 2.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the class of the National League, but they are weathering a rash of injuries that are hard to persevere through.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reportedly believes the knee injury Max Muncy sustained earlier this month could affect him even after he returns from the injured list, which should be at some point in August or early September.
Muncy went on the injured list with a bone bruise after Michael A. Taylor of the Chicago White Sox slid into his knee on a caught stealing in the sixth inning of LA’s 5-4 win July 2. The initial diagnosis stated Muncy would miss six-to-eight weeks, which he is two weeks into.
Muncy is slashing .250/.375/.475 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs, and an impressive 69-55 strikeout-to-walk rate in 81 games this season.
At 58-39, the Dodgers have the best record in the NL and are 5.5 games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres.
What Did Dave Roberts Say About Max Muncy’s Knee Injury?
By all accounts, Muncy dodged a major bullet since Taylor’s slide did not cause any structural damage to the Dodgers third baseman’s knee.
But that doesn’t mean Muncy will be the same player when he does come back — which could be an issue, since the soon-to-be 35-year-old veteran isn’t the most agile player in the first place.
So tucked away in Jack Harris’ story from the Los Angeles Times about the Dodgers’ recent struggles was a note about Muncy, where Roberts stated the injury may linger beyond this season, even if Muncy comes back.
“There’s no guarantee how Muncy will look once he returns, with Roberts noting his bone bruise will probably linger into next year,” Harris wrote.
So even though Muncy is not necessarily a household name outside of Greater LA, he is an important part of the Dodgers’ success. Muncy boasts a career OPS+ of 124, and the Dodgers are 47-26 in games Muncy has started and 7-9 in games he has not played.
“It’s one of those things where we’ve got to find a way to weather it,” Roberts told the LA Times.
Who Is On The Dodgers Injured List?
Muncy is the most prominent offensive player on the injured list, but he is joined by a slew of high-priced, highly skilled pitchers.
Starting pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are making their way back from the injured list, and starter Roki Sasaki is also likely to come back to LA’s rotation in the next month. Those four will join Shohei Ohtani, who is an MVP candidate on offense and is building up as a starting pitcher.
Thanks to their historically deep-pocketed owners, the Dodgers are deeper than any other team in baseball, which affords them a level of caution when dealing with injuries.
Still, playing without those high-profile players has put pressure on other Dodgers stars to step outside their skill levels.
“You can’t replace All-Stars. You can’t replace guys that have won MVPs in the postseason. You can’t replace those type of things,” infielder Mookie Betts told the LA Times recently. “The next man has to step up and do what he can do. But I mean, you can’t replace those guys. You can only have someone come step up and do their best.”
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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