LOS ANGELES, CA— If you were hoping the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to scour the market for potential third base options in the wake of Max Muncy’s knee injury, well, you’ll have to hamper expectations.
In an interview with Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes shot down any idea of the Dodgers adding third base help at this year’s July 31st trade deadline.
“Even if [Muncy’s recovery] is way slow, you have a full month of baseball before we hit the playoffs,” Gomes said. “So we’re giving him that time to get back into a good place and try to set a good foundation, like we try to do with all of our guys, to be prepared for that stretch run.”
The Dodgers and Muncy seemingly dodged a massive bullet as the 34-year-old third baseman only suffered what the Dodgers described as a “left knee bone bruise” rather than a potentially season-ending injury.
A day after the collision from Chicago White Sox center fielder Michael A Taylor’s head and Muncy’s knee, the third baseman had an MRI done, which revealed ligament tears.
The news was the “best case scenario,” per Muncy, given the situation and the type of injury it could have been.
“It was kind of twofold,” Muncy said. “Tough news, but also great news. When you look at the play and what could have happened, we possibly got best-case scenario. No structural damage—that was a huge relief.”
Muncy is set to miss anywhere from six to eight weeks, with a possible return in September, giving him about a month to prepare for October.
However, the Dodgers’ biggest challenge from now until then is replacing the production Muncy has provided them as of late.
Since Muncy opted to wear prescription eyeglasses, he’s been on an offensive tear with a .287/.414/.575, with a 172 wRC+, thirteen home runs, and fifty-one RBIs, elevating him to a potential starting third base nod at this year’s mid-summer classic.
In the meantime, the Dodgers will let the trio of Miguel Rojas, Kiké Hernández, and Tommy Edman handle third base with top infield prospect Kyle Freeland waiting in the wings at Triple-A OKC.
The Dodgers hold all the cards at this year’s trade deadline. While the team could update areas in the bullpen, starting rotation, corner outfield, and now third base, they sit with the best record in Major League Baseball and are a season-high eight games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres.
“With the time we have, there’s nothing pressing as far as needing to rush [Muncy] back,” Roberts said. “I think we’re in a good spot….Knowing the certainty of Max coming back at some point. I don’t think that will really impact our thinking going into the deadline.”
A lot can change between now and July 31st, as a bone bruise injury is hard to diagnose and treat, and most of the time, it’s just a pain tolerance issue for the rest of the season.
If Muncy has a setback and the trio of Hernández, Edman, and Rojas don’t work along with Freeland, you could see the Dodgers pivot to other options around the league.
The Dodgers were rumored to have been keeping an eye on Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Last winter, the Dodgers and Nolan Arenado were continuously linked through trade dialogue, though nothing ever came to fruition.
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