The Los Angeles Dodgers are still waiting for Max Muncy to return from an injury he suffered just a couple of weeks ago. Muncy has played in over half of the Dodgers’ games this season, but injuries have held him back at times. Now, he is battling an oblique injury.
“Less than two weeks after returning, Muncy is headed back to the 10-day IL, this time with a Grade 1 oblique strain on his right side. The Dodgers expect him to return this season, but his absence will be longer than the minimum 10 days,” MLB.com’s Sonja Chen wrote.
For Muncy and the Dodgers, the focus is on ensuring he is fully healed before making a comeback.
“Yeah, we’re getting there,” Muncy said. “We’re just trying to be cautious and be careful with everything that we’re doing. At this point in the season, we can’t really afford to have anything set me back. So we’re just being real slow and real cautious and making sure that everything feels completely normal before we progress to the next steps. We’ll see what that timeline looks like, but we’re getting close.”
However, there is a possibility the Dodgers may start preparing for a future without Muncy. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes the Dodgers could sign a Japanese third baseman who played alongside Shohei Ohtani in the World Baseball Classic.
“Murakami has missed most of this season due to an arthroscopic surgery in his throwing elbow, but he mashed 223 home runs from 2019-24 and is still just 25 years old. The expectation remains that he will be posted this winter and will be a traditional free agent, able to immediately sign a major deal (a la Yoshinobu Yamamoto) as opposed to needing to go the Roki Sasaki route. Prediction: Murakami signs a six-year deal with the Dodgers, becoming the heir apparent to Max Muncy at third base,” Miller wrote.
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Murakami would add another power bat to the Dodgers lineup. LA knows how to build every offseason, and this move would continue that trend. The Dodgers have gained a Japanese star in each of the last two offseasons, so this could very well be a third year in a row. While moving on from Muncy may sting, Murakami certainly has a lot to offer.
