The Dodgers announced that they have activated infielder Max Muncy from the injured list. He had been sidelined with a fractured wrist.
Fortunately, the injury ended up requiring only a brief absence. While the Dodgers will likely take it slow with the 29-year-old slugger upon his return, there’s obviously no concern that he’s at risk of further injury.
The Los Angeles organization will spend the next two weeks firming up its postseason roster plans and getting the right amount of reps to the right players. Muncy hasn’t been sidelined for long, but he’ll obviously want to get plenty of looks at big-league pitching to prepare for what is hoped to be a deep playoff run.
Muncy hasn’t been quite as awesome this year as he was in his stunning 2018 breakout campaign, but he has remained a top-end offensive player. Through 534 plate appearances, Muncy carries a .253/.375/.525 batting line with 33 home runs.
“Muncy hasn’t been quite as awesome this year as he was in his stunning 2018 breakout campaign”
Isn’t his 2019 stats better than his 2018 stats in almost every single way possible?
Actually, no
Lower BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, wOBA, wRC, HR, HR/PA, BB%, ISO, fWAR…
Still having a great year but he did more last year.
I believe his WAR stats might be higher and is what the man was referencing.
His defensive improvements have helped his WAR. Last year he was just about average. This year his stats are gold glove like.
That’s facts
Ah, that’s great. This lad’s my favorite Dodger right now. He’ll be a good hand come playoff time.
Muncy’s biggest future value may be as the part of a trade with an AL team. Muncy is somewhat of a player without a defensive home, but would be an ideal DH. With the presence of Lux to step
Into a starter’s role at 2B and the option of putting Bellinger back at first leaving an OF of Verdugo, Pedersen and Taylor with Pollock in reserve, Muncy could easily be packaged for a closer to replace a fading Jansen and addition bullpen help for next season.
It’s not like he’s a DH forced out of position. He has 6 DRS both at 2B and 3B, and 2 DRS at 1B. If anything, his defense has been just as valuable as his offensive contributions.
You don’t sign Pollock to that contract and have him as a reserve outfielder. He’s a starter. Pederson will be gone in the next year or two and he only hits righties. Taylor is more a super utility and not a starter for the dodgers either.
At least there are more
righties than lefties…..
This idea is awful and ridiculous. Muncy has actually turned into a decent defender this year so the argument he doesn’t have a position is wrong. Muncy has given them elite offensive production the last 2 years, you dont just take that out of the lineup (espically for a relief pitcher). Remeber the bad argument some Dodger fans had that Kemp and Puig couldn’t be replaced? Well that actually applies to Muncy. You cant replace what he does in the lineup. The only consideration trading him would have to be for a top of the line starter. If its not that forget it. I mean really trade Muncy for a closer in a market that will have 2 good ones as free agents..Come on man.
I never understood the fascination of keeping Bellinger at 1st, especially since he has shown he’s their best CF defender along with a GG type RF.
With that said, the idea that the Dodgers could trade Muncy is not crazy per se, but the premise as to why is the ridiculous portion. If you examine what the Dodgers needs are and their deficiencies on the farm, I could definitely see a scenario in which Muncy is traded. Said scenario would involve Muncy possessing substantial TV, and Dodgers looking for a long term RH bat at 3rd. Allowing then to move Turner down the defensive spectrum, because his bat is so crucial to this lineup, while also getting that much needed future RHH as Turner ages. Quite honestly I can also see the Dodgers sniffing around to see if there is any potential interest in Pollock since we’re on the subject. Heck to be honest, I can see a scenario in which Pollock is traded, and Dodgers also trading Muncy with secondary/tertiary pieces while giving Pederson and Turner an entire ST to bounce around both their respective primary positions, OF and 3rd, along with 1st. It’s all so interesting, because they can go in so many different directions on both sides while also having a backlog of talent at AAA. Varying degrees of mlb success obviously, but there is clearly MLB talent on the fringes and another roster crunch on the horizon.
There is definitely a roster crunch next spring but I see guys like Rios/Garlick or soon to be pending free agents Joc/ Hernandez as the potential casualties of it. The main reason I just cant envision it is the major hole in the lineup he would leave behind. Unlike those gone in the Reds deal Muncy is not replaceable. I will say that the scenario you brought up is possible if they sign Rendon. Getting assets for Muncy and signing Rendon is interesting.
See that’s the thing, your soon to be FAs are going to be relatively expensive and flawed as compared to the Reds package. Even then they provide an ability to move around, and sort of self clearing roster spots in 21. So their value is going to sway to that being more valuable to the Dodgers than what is perceived on the market. So yes and no. Garlick is probably name that falls victim to the crunch among a ton of Out of options RPs. I put the names like Beaty and Rios among those without a home that could be secondary/tertiary pieces to a package, but can clearly play at this level.
The Reds package was a bit of a threshold accounting trick. Adding 2 talented pieces afforded the opportunity to bring in some upside pieces that may have been undervalued. So it wouldn’t shock me if they traded Pederson and/or Hernandez, but the point in doing so is much closer to salary dump than actual value. The market doesn’t truly reward soon to be expensive and exclusive platoon guys.
My point being Muncy’s bat is not necessarily irreplaceable. It is important no doubt, but obtaining a like RH bat that could potentially hold down 3rd for a long portion of time seems to be where you’d make a move. Win or lose though I think this team could look significantly different in terms of supporting cast players next year.
Yeah, it will be good to see him stepping on more ankles to try to cause injuries. Seeing him mock pitchers when he gets a big hit will be rewarding, too.
You’re thinking of Manny
Muncy got a nice vacation to rest. Maybe more teams should learn from the Dodgers and put some players on the DL with fake injuries.
Cuz breaking a bone is a fake injury lmao. Clown
What a bogus injury! I’ve fractured my wrist 2 times (and I wasn’t playing mlb) and no one returns to play baseball, where your wrist is so vulnerable and key to your game, in just over 2 weeks! Impossible. My guess: wasn’t really a “fracture”, more likely a contusion or bone bruise.
Makes for a good Dodger’s story though!
They could have put him on the IL for a bone bruise or a contusion. So you are saying that they lied about the injury, got the medical stuff to go along with it, just because it is a good story? People and their conspiracy theories
But he fractured his wrist, not break it to a breaching bone out of his wrist… so a fracture can heal in that short of a time span. That is, depending on how crucial the fracture is.