Dodgers Preview 2026: Third Base

CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ — Today, we look at another position that should be pretty solid for much of the year: third base. 35-year-old Max Muncy looks to be the everyday third baseman this year, and barring injuries or a prolonged slump, we expect good things out of him at the hot corner in 2026. But should he falter, there are other options that the Dodgers can pursue. Let’s take a look.

Max Muncy (2025: .243 AVG, 19 HR, 67 RBI .846 OPS)

Max Muncy by now is something of a Dodger folk hero. He represents the “old-school” way of roster construction that Andrew Friedman used in the first few years of his Dodger tenure, BS (before Shohei). He was an undervalued asset rescued off the scrapheap in 2018, put into emergency service at third to sub for an ailing Justin Turner. Then, once he moved to first, he achieved All-Star status in both 2019 and 2021. In 2021, he even finished in the top ten for NL MVP. He is a sucess story that the Dodgers seemed to thrive on in the late teens. And, with the retirement of Clayton Kershaw, he is now the longest tenured Dodgers, entering his ninth year of service with the club.

2025 was a mixed bag for Max. He started slow, came on strong in June and then missed over a month with injury before coming back to the lineup in August. There was the horrifying knee injury just moments before Clayton Kershaw’s 3000th strikeout that kept him out of the lineup, and to be honest, when it happened, I thought he’d be out for the year. Luckily he came back, and though he only played 19 games after the All-Star Break, his stat line was great: a .910 OPS with six home runs and twelve RBI.

And we can’t forget, the dude hit one of the most consequential homers of the entire year, when he absolutely OBLITERATED a pitch from Trey Yesavage in Game 7 of the World Series to pull the Dodgers within one and set up Miguel Rojas‘s and Will Smith‘s late night heroics. I feel like that homer doesn’t get enough love among the Dodger faithful, but it absolutely was critical to their winning in October (November, to be completely accurate).

So what can we expect from Max in 2026: well FanGraphs is only expecting 86 games out of him this year, which seems a little low. But historically, it would make sense, I suppose. Max has never been a guy to post all 162. FanGraphs also has him down in power numbers, only projecting 16 dingers this season with a .774 OPS and 119 OPS+. Those are decent numbers, and I’d take them, but I think we might see more than that out of the Funky Muncy in 2026. With his good eye and the ABS to help him, he might be able to squeeze a few more walks out this year, and I think he can still pound a ball to the upper tank like few others in the league, so I’m predicting we get an OPS of over .800 from him with 25 home runs and somewhere in the vacinity of 125 games played. Take THAT FanGraphs!

Miguel Rojas (2025: .262 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI, .715 OPS)

Of course, the next guy on the third base depth chart this year will never have to pay for a drink in Los Angeles again. Miguel Rojas, he of “No Way! Miguel Rojas!” fame in Game 7 of the World Series was signed to a one-year deal to finish his career as a member of the Dodgers. And while he can play three positions on the infield, he is most likely to see most of his time at second this year, simply because that is the position that is most in flux. However, given the ages of both he and Max Muncy, I imagine Doc will probably limit these veterans by giving them both a couple days off every week. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see Rojas in there on days without Max at third.

With Rojas, you know what you’re getting. At this stage in his career, his a glove-first-hit-second kind of player and with this stacked lineup, that is probably enough. I would guess he’s probably going to see action in 50-100 games this year, depending on the health of the rest of the infield. Nevertheless, he’s a good insurance policy to have should Tommy, Mookie, or Max go down to injury.

Kiké Hernández (2025: .203 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI, .621 OPS)

Kiké Hernández won’t be back for some time, but he gives Dave Roberts another option at multiple positions all around the field. He had a solid October (1.008 OPS in October), and his goofiness is a nice presence in the clubhouse. He still a little too scattered to be an everyday star, but he turns it on when it’s needed, and that’s why the Dodgers keep signing him.

Alex Freeland (2025 (OKC): .263 AVG, 16 HR, 82 RBI, .834 OPS)

Alex Freeland is a bit of a puzzle for the Dodgers. I’m not sure the team knows quite what they want to do with him. With the Tommy Edman injury, he has a chance to break camp with the team and start the year in LA. And, with Hyeseong Kim playing in the WBC during most of the spring, Freeland benefits from being able to play nearly every day. In a way, it’s a shame to waste a player of his caliber in another year of triple-A, but it’s hard to see a long-term spot for him in the lineup just yet. Maybe if there are more injuries around the infield, he’ll be able to stick, but that’s just wishing for bad luck. I’m guessing he’s probably going to see under 100 plate appearances in LA this year. Which will be frustrating for him, but when everyone is healthy, there’s not much space on the roster for the guy right now.

Conclusion

This position, we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Hopefully, the veteran Muncy will be able to squeeze another good year out of his unlikely career, and he’ll be able to enjoy his fourth ring next spring. Otherwise, the Dodgers’ depth will come into play.

DODGERSBEAT GRADE: B-

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