The Dodgers announced they’ve activated second baseman Max Muncy from the injured list before tonight’s game in San Diego. Outfielder Zach Reks was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Muncy is starting at second base against the Padres, hitting sixth in the order.
Muncy wound up sitting out a minimal ten days with a modest right oblique strain. The 30-year-old has been one of the best players in the league this season. He’s hitting .264/.418/.528 with 14 homers across 244 plate appearances. By measure of wRC+ (163), Muncy is tied with Nick Castellanos as the seventh-most productive qualified hitter. It’s his fourth consecutive season of high-end offensive play.
At 44-28, the Dodgers sit two games back of the Giants in a three-way race in the National League West. The 43-32 Friars are 2.5 games behind L.A., making this an important series between the pair of Southern California rivals. San Diego won the first game last night, 6-2.
The Dodgers obviously went the safe route by putting him on the 10-day IL. It will likely pay off later on. And he gets activated just in time for the Padres series!
booooooooooooo that geeky leprechaun
Worried?
As a Giants fan, I don’t mind admitting that the Dodgers getting healthy is a bit scary. I would like to see all three teams completely healthy to have a good battle for the division. More fun, and the winner is more legit.
tad2bi3, I’m watching Mets-Braves. Stroman just went down in the second inning, definitely arm-related. Post-weather delay. It’s possible he slipped on the mound. A brutal season to watch, regardless of the success of our individual teams.
Definitely arm related? Announced as a hip issue – definitely not arm.
Don’t ever become a doctor, please.
I’m a Dodgers fan, and I agree with you, 100%.
L F G
It’s kind of freaky what the Dodgers have done. Muncy, Belli, Seager (2,3,4 hitters?) all on DL. Dustin May out for the year. Gonsolin just coming back. What? 2nd or 3rd best record in baseball!
The Dodgers have been absolute masters of accumulating quality depth the last few years.
Oh, and let’s not forget Dave Robert’s. Without him, they’d have the best record in baseball.
deano 2, You couldn’t be more wrong about Roberts. I have been a Dodger fan since 1968, and he is easily the best manager they’ve had during that time. I watch every game closely. People who think Roberts is a bad manager aren’t paying attention. It sometimes makes me question what those peoples’ motivation is.
Cey Hey:
I couldn’t agree more. Roberts is one of the best mangers in MLB. I thought he was a great choice for them. As a Giants fan, I was hoping they would stay with Mattingly.
These days it’s fashionable to criticize the manager. People think it makes them look more knowledgeable about the game.
Cey Hey, if you don’t mind, please elaborate on your claim. You have shared a lot of good takes on this site, and I know you are extremely knowledgeable about the Dodgers. You also have about 30 years’ head start on me when it comes to watching the Dodgers, so I am reluctant to dismiss what you are saying. That said, I have seen very little evidence that Roberts is anything but a mediocre manager who simply has an otherworldly roster to camouflage his relative lack of ability. I don’t think he’s better than Mattingly; I just think he has a better team to work with than Donnie B did when he was in charge.
MWeller77, Roberts is a master at mixing and matching lineups. The talent is really good, but at times has been a bit overrated. Pedro Baez, Enrique Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Austin Barnes, and Ross Stripling are among players he’s gotten max value from by using them wisely. He puts players in spots where they can succeed. He also doesn’t give up on guys who are slumping. Take Max Muncy, for instance. After being added to the roster in 2018, Muncy struggled mightily his first month. The lunar fringe of the fan base was livid when Roberts continued to play “scrub” Muncy, but Roberts kept penciling him in. I’d say that worked out pretty well. Yes, Muncy deserves the credit for producing. But so does Roberts for creating an environment where he could flourish.
The 2108 team is an example of outstanding managing by Roberts. They started 16-26, lost Seager for the season, Turner for a long stretch, and four of the five SPs to the IL at the same time. Yet he somehow got them back in the race with a patchwork rotation headed by Buehler and Stripling and a lineup that included Muncy. A great job of restoring order. That team had no business being in a position to rent Machado at the deadline.
If people want to say the FO is largely responsible for making out the lineup card, that winds up as another point in Roberts’ favor. Being able to work with others in an organization for a common goal is a positive thing. The old “my-way-or-the-highway” style of managing is archaic and, frankly, selfish. Roberts doesn’t make it about himself; he makes it about the team. A reason the Dodgers let Mattingly go was his unwillingness to consider analytic data or any outside input. It might have been the main reason.
Roberts is not a rah-rah self-promoter. There’s nothing Holywood about him. He’s an excellent communicator who is savvy when it comes to dealing with modern athletes. He maintains an even keel, which a team needs in a long season. His record speaks for itself. Three World Series appearances in four years are great results. As a Dodger fan, I don’t feel any sense of disappointment about it.
In-game decisions? Sorry, but I don’t think so much of myself that I would place my second-guesses over the choices of a guy who has been around Major League Baseball for 25 years. And let’s be honest: fan “what-ifs” are always second guesses, regardless of when we make our guess. Often, the right move doesn’t work out. And sometimes, the wrong move does. As a fan, I don’t dwell on every little decision a manager makes. The season is too long, and I have seen too many questionable moves pay off over the long haul.
One last thing is the vaunted Dodger clubhouse culture. While I’m not privy to what goes on there, I believe a harmonious workplace reflects leadership. It’s tough to address, but there’s a situation from the Mattingly years that supposedly changed for the better under Roberts. Some fans will know what I’m alluding to. I’ll just say he has created an environment where all are welcome. So yes, he is a better fit for the Dodgers than Donnie (who I think is doing a fine job in Miami)
Cey I go back to 1955 watching the bums while they were still in Brooklyn. Roberts is a top notch manager, but for the cheating in 2017 he would likely have 2 rings with the a Dodgers and would be in search of number 3 and on the doorstep of Cooperstown when he retires. I would rate up there with Walt Alston (before your time) who was one helkuva of a skipper.
I watch your posts which are almost always given in a respectful manner and with which I almost agree with.
As to Roberts, besides his baseball acumen, he has two “cultural” attributes. UCLA graduate. And, in our diverse city, a man of colour. Love his demeanor and management style. 3 out of 4 years in the World Series is some accomplishment.
dodger1`858, By the time I started watching the Dodgers, Alston was into his napping-in-the-dugout phase.
Re two rings and the doorstep to Cooperstown, Lasorda owed a lot to Bowie Kuhn and Kirk Gibson. Those ’86 and ’87 teams were horrible, and I place the blame on Lasorda even though Guerrero was hurt one of those years. The Kirk Gibson effect cannot be understated.
Oops, that should have been addressed to dodger1958, I guess I should do some napping, too. East Coast fan of West Coast baseball team. I have the worst sleeping habits in the world.
Predicting a SD sweep. The Dodgers just seem intimidated by the Friars this year. And the Padres seem to want it more.
What a shame they haven’t wanted it more in other games, or they’d be doing better than 3rd.
Want it more? Where do fans come up with such nonsense? The Dodgers are a seasoned bunch of professionals who for four years have averaged 102-60 per 162 games while going to three World Series. They will be fine.
A reminder to Padres fans: counting your chickens before they hatch can be a dangerous thing. Stuff happens. As fans of a team that has won just one World Series game in its history, you surely must know this. Enjoy your June series win and we’ll see you down the road.
One team, or one athlete, wanting it more, has to be the most ridiculous cliché, among all the clichés, and there are a ton of them, used in sports. The concept of one side side winning, simply because they wanted it more, is patently absurd.