Muncy returns to Dodgers; Edman to injured list with ankle sprain
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LOS ANGELES -- Max Muncy thought the worst as he lay on the ground following a collision at third base. The pain from the hard contact of attempted basestealer Michael A. Taylor’s slide into his left knee on July 2 was so intense that Muncy was unsure he’d be able to play again this season.
Just one month later, Muncy has made his way back to the field.
Muncy was activated Monday ahead of the Dodgers’ series opener against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Tommy Edman was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle.
“It's hard to stay positive in a moment like that,” Muncy said. “But I’m just extremely thankful for us to get [me] back on the baseball field this year. I'm going to try to enjoy every second of it, just knowing how close it was to not being there for me.”
Even after an MRI revealed that Muncy’s injury was just a bone bruise and that there was no structural damage, he was still expected to miss at least six weeks. At the time, the team considered that the “best-case scenario,” given how bad things looked initially. He wound up beating that timeline by nearly a week and a half, returning after a five-game rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“We certainly missed him,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “... He's put in a lot of work to get back with this timeline. And, yeah, we needed him. So to put him back somewhere in the middle of the order just kind of lengthens and strengthens our lineup.”
On Monday, Muncy was back at third base and batting fifth. He’ll play on Tuesday, as well, before getting a day off Wednesday in the series finale.
It’s a big boost for a batting order that has found offense a bit difficult to come by recently. Prior to his injury, Muncy had been one of L.A.’s most consistent producers. He rebounded from a difficult start to the season and posted a slash line of .287/.414/.575 with 13 home runs in 53 games dating back to April 30. Muncy had more walks (37) than strikeouts (35) in that span.
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“There's no way to really tell until I get out there tonight,” Muncy said when asked whether he thought he was back at the level he was before he got hurt. “Body-wise, I feel like I'm in a great spot in the box. Things feel good. … You'd maybe like a little bit more time to refine the approach after you know that your body's in a good spot. But for me, I'd rather be up here. So it's a good time to return.”
As for Edman, it’s his second time on the IL this season with a right ankle ailment. The 30-year-old aggravated the injury Sunday running the bases in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the Rays in Tampa.
“I don't know how long it's going to be, but I do think that he'll be back at some point [this season],” said Roberts. “And I think the main thing is that we just find how we can kind of make sure that this doesn't happen again. … But getting off the plane yesterday, I heard that he felt better, which is good.”
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With Muncy back and Edman out, a shift is coming for Dodgers No. 3 prospect Alex Freeland, who has almost exclusively played on the left side of the infield for both Oklahoma City and the Dodgers.
“He's going to play second base tomorrow, and then on Wednesday, he's going to kick back over to third base,” said Roberts. “But I think for Alex, it means that he's going to just see some more time at second base.”