The Dodgers have placed infielder Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation. Kevin Pillar’s contract was selected from Triple-A to take Muncy’s spot on the active roster, and Los Angeles moved Tommy Kahnle to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man place for Pillar. In another move, right-hander Michael Grove was called up to the active roster, while right-hander Ryan Pepiot was optioned to Triple-A.
Muncy knocked his elbow into a wall while chasing a foul ball on Wednesday, and he has missed the Dodgers’ last two games. However, Muncy’s elbow has been an ongoing concern since he partially tore his UCL in the final game of the 2021 regular season. Muncy opted against any type of surgery, but clearly hasn’t been his usual self at the dish, batting only .150/.327/.263 over his first 168 plate appearances.
“We all know he’s been grinding with the arm issue,” manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters on Thursday. Roberts implied at the time that a IL stint would be necessary, saying “I’m going to give him some time off to kind of reset the arm…I don’t know if there’s an aggravation in there. But we just have to kind of temper back a little bit.”
Given the lingering nature of Muncy’s elbow problems, it seems likely that he’ll miss more than just the minimum 10 days, as both the infielder and the Dodgers surely want to make sure he’s properly ready before a return to action. It isn’t known if surgery is being considered as a possibility to correct the issue once and for all, as Muncy said back in March that he was told by doctors that surgery wasn’t necessary.
It is a testament to the Dodgers’ depth and overall quality that L.A. is still dominating the league without much contribution from such key players as Muncy, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and with several pitchers (including Clayton Kershaw) on the injured list. However, for Los Angeles to capture another World Series title, they’ll surely need some help from some of these names come October.
Muncy has been mostly splitting time between second and third base. Turner and the hot-hitting Edwin Rios can handle third base, while Muncy’s absence could mean more time for Gavin Lux and Hanser Alberto at the keystone. Chris Taylor has been exclusively used as an outfielder this season, but the longtime utilityman figures to factor into the infield picture as well, especially with Pillar now on the roster to provide outfield depth.
A veteran of nine MLB seasons, Pillar hit .231/.277/.415 over 347 PA with the Mets last season, and both sides declined their ends of options on Pillar’s services for the 2023 season. Pillar had wait until after the lockout to find his next contract and had to settle for a minor league deal, but he’ll now receive a $2.5MM guaranteed salary for making the Dodgers’ active roster.
Pillar had two opportunities to opt out of his minors deal since the Dodgers hadn’t yet called him up to the majors, and a third opt-out date was set for June 1. Beyond the contractual details, Pillar was also doing a lot to force the Dodgers’ hand by ripping up Triple-A pitching — the outfielder has hit .315/.412/.622 over 153 PA with Oklahoma City this season. It’s probably safe to assume that Pillar (career 88 wRC+) won’t keep up that kind of production in the big leagues, but the Dodgers only need him to handle part-time outfield duty while they figure out the position player mix.
Kevin Pillar has alot of heart. Enjoy watching him play all out 100% and clutch. Huge fan
Excited to watch Pilar climb the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium.
I can’t believe with as bad a position as CF is league wide Pillar had to play almost the first two months of the season in the minors
He grew up a dodger fan, he wanted this.
Especially when scrubs like Aaron Hicks are getting everyday playing time with certain teams
Ouch!
Pillar wanted to play on the Dodgers, the team he grew up rooting for. Tons of players give high praise to the organization, plus the dodgers are always competing. There are probably a bunch of teams he could be starting on, but being on a competitive team was more important to him.
“…both sides declined their ends of options on Pillar’s services for the 2023 season.” Is that supposed to say “2022 season”?
Mark Polishuk: Clairvoyant?
About time Pham got the call. Dude’s got a 1.000+ OPS in AAA with nine homers.
Nice to see him in the Majors again. He’ll always be a fan favourite in Toronto. Also I know it’s just AAA, but it’s nice to see that he’s walking more lol.
Muncy is last year’s Bellinger.
Shame on Kahnle I had really high hopes for him and Moronta
I know Fried likes to take a gander on these bargain mart injured arms like Nelson Kahnle Duffy etc but it really jams up the 27 & 40 . Much prefer just rolling with the cheaper youths who have options (we have them in spades as well on the arm side )
*The new {only} 5 minor league options rule per year has really hurt LAD more than most teams this year and will continue doing so
Gentle reminder that LA is “dominating the league” bc they’ve played 38 of their 45 games vs sub-500 teams. This ain’t rocket science. By contrast, the Yankees have played 18. Let’s retire the narrative.
*And are 6-1 in those games you should add
Not that SF is some powerhouse so far, but they were missing 6 everyday starters for 2 of those games btw. It’s actually comical how many breaks LA’s caught.
Yea your probably right, scoring the most runs and giving up the least in all MLB are probably just early season noise. It will get flattened out over 162
When you mostly face bad pitching & bad offense, yup.
Hey when we boot you from the playoffs AGAIN don’t come crying to me…
again? I don’t have a team, lil bro
You apparently aren’t a baseball fan at all. You come here just to troll those of us who are.
For the tenth time, having a different opinion isn’t “trolling.” Pointing out obvious media spin isn’t “trolling.” Do you know what that word means? No crying in baseball, sweetie.
And for the last time, repeating the same antagonistic argument over and over no matter what the subject might be is called trolling. Sorry we laugh at your feeble efforts at baiting. Sorry you’re so busted.
Who’s we? Once again, you can’t even address the simple point that LA’s schedule has been a joke. 25% of their games vs Arizona. Clown.
Muncy IL probably has more to do with .150, and hoping he has time to work out the issues with his arm wonder if something didnt heal right or he has different feel for swinging.
Happy for Pillar getting the call. Love watching his defensive play. He plays with a lot of heart and doesn’t mind getting uniform dirty. Always wanted the Braves to sign him.
Kevin Pillar has to be one of the most underrated players in baseball. All he does is bust his ass, give his team spectacular defense, and more-than-acceptable offense … yet teams constantly let him go as though he’s overpaid or easily replaceable … he’s neither. He’s a gamer and a winner, and if the Dodgers have any sense at all, he’s their every-game left fielder.
I don’t know about “underrated”. Pillar is lifetime .259/.296/.408 and probably no longer a plus fielder. at 33, where’s the upside?
@WarrenSpahn: The upside with Pillar is that he’s a brilliant defensive outfielder. Please don’t be an ageist and think that somehow a younger player is better than an older one. Most of the best players in MLB are veterans, and the best teams are always loaded with veteran players because they know how to win.
Pillar’s never been a guy with great slash lines … his greatest strengths are his superb defense and his incredible toughness (there isn’t a gutsier player in MLB). And keep in mind the Dodgers traded their excellent left fielder (Pollock) to get their present closer (Kimbrel), which left them with a glaring void in the outfield. They’ve tried Lux out there with pretty bad results, and acquring Pillar frees up the exceptionally versatile Taylor to play wherever they need him, which is a tremendous plus for the team.
As with any player, don’t just look at Pillar’s numbers … watch him play and you’ll see what a fabulous player he is and what an asset he is to the Dodgers.