LOS ANGELES, CA— During yesterday’s 5-4 walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a possible significant injury with third baseman Max Muncy leaving the game in the sixth inning with left knee pain.
Muncy’s left knee and the head of veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor collided on a bang-bang play, with Taylor tagged out trying to swipe third base.
The aftermath was Muncy going down in pain instantly and having to be helped off the field by athletic trainers.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that the team was optimistic that the injury was just a left MCL sprain, rather than a complete tear, but even if that’s the case, the recovery time could be anywhere from three to eight weeks.
The loss of Muncy for any extended period of time will be impactful for the Dodgers’ lineup, as since April 30th, the 34-year-old third baseman has been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, slashing .287/.414/.575, with a 172 wRC+, thirteen home runs, and fifty-one RBIs.
That type of production will be complex to replicate for any team, but the Dodgers, who are without a clear option for the hot corner, will have to get creative. But who will they turn to in Muncy’s absence?
A Rotation of Rojas and Kiké Hernández
The Dodgers have yet to announce any updates on Muncy as of the writing of this post on Thursday morning. However, with Muncy set to undergo an MRI and certainly a 10-day injured list placement, the immediate plan will be a combination of Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández at third base.
Of all the position players on the 26-man roster, no one has played more third base than those two.
Up until recently, when Muncy was unable to hit a lick versus left-handed pitching, Dave Roberts opted to have either Rojas or Hernández start at the hot corner when a Southpaw was on the mound.
Hernández, 33, has appeared in nine games this season at third base (six starts) and posted a .933 fielding percentage in 52.1 innings. Overall, in his career, Hernández has played his worst defense at third base with a below-league-average fielding percentage of .934.
Rojas, 36, has been far better in his limited opportunity, posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in sixty-five innings this season and has been swinging the bat well, finishing June with a .348/.423/.696 slash line, 1.119 OPS, and a 208 wRC+ along with two doubles and two home runs as a bench player.
Rojas has not had an everyday role since the second half of last season when Mookie Betts went down with a broken wrist, so it’ll be interesting to see what Roberts does this summer.
Alex Freeland Time?
If the combination of Rojas and Hernández is not the answer, the Dodgers could turn to No.5 prospect Alex Freeland.
Freeland, 23, a traditional shortstop, has appeared in ten games this season for the Triple-A OKC Comets as a third baseman and has appeared in only seventeen games overall in his minor league career, posting a respectable .959 fielding percentage.
Freeland, a third-round selection in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, has risen through the organization over the last two seasons.
This past season, Freeland put it all together, hitting .260/.387/.442 with a .829 OPS, thirty-two doubles, eighteen home runs, seventy-four RBIs, and ninety-one walks while rising through the pipeline from Single-A+ to ending the season with Triple-A OKC Baseball Club.
This season, Freeland’s numbers have dipped across the board, which could be concerning given that the Pacific Coast League is known for being a hitter-friendly environment. However, he has still posted a 114 wRC+ in seventy-five games this season.
Freeland is currently not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, so if he were to be promoted, they’d have to make a spot for him.
If Freeland is not the guy the Dodgers want to promote (yet), I expect outfielder James Outman will be recalled to give the Dodgers another left-handed bat off the bench.
Outman has done minimal damage in his two brief opportunities in the show this season, hitting .125 with a 48.1 strikeout rate.
However, Outman is putting together a very good season in Triple-A, hitting nineteen home runs and posting a .940 OPS.
Will the Dodgers be Forced to Trade for a Third Baseman?
The Dodgers head into the 2025 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline with a multitude of issues, particularly around the pitching staff. However, if Max Muncy is out for the remainder of this season and the start of next year, the team may seek external solutions.
Despite the St. Louis Cardinals’ contention in the National League Central and their fight for a possible National League Wild Card spot, the team is entering a transition phase under new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom.
One player and contract the team would love to get away from is eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado.
While the Dodgers were heavily linked to Arenado over the winter, the team opted to go with their guy Max Muncy instead rather than take on Arenado coming off a down year and the remaining $52 million in the final three years of his contract, along with $44 million in deferred payments from 2025 to 2041.
Arenado got off to a hot start this season but has since cooled off and is now batting just .247/.306/.304 with a below league average 94 wRC+, but would provide an uptick in defensive production as the ten-time Gold Glove Award winner ranks in the 81st percentile in OAA this season.
Another trade option could be Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, who was linked to the Dodgers last month, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.
McMahon, 30, is hitting .216/.318/.387 this season with an 85 wRC+ and has not hit well outside of Coors Field in Denver, and like Arenado, would provide improved defense at third.
The other more unlikely options on the trade market could be Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, Arizona Diamondbacks Eugenio Suárez, or, if the Braves want to start a fire sale, possibly Austin Riley.
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