LOS ANGELES -- Max Muncy was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, one day after exiting a game following a scary collision in the field. But he and the Dodgers breathed a sigh of relief when the third baseman was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee rather than an injury that could end his season.
An MRI on Muncy's knee revealed no structural damage, and he is optimistic that he could be back in action in around six weeks, give or take.
"It was tough news, but it was also great news," Muncy said. "In terms of when you look at the play and just the injury that could have happened, we possibly got [the] best-case scenario."
Speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who set the American League rookie stolen base record with the A's in 2023, was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City as the corresponding move for Muncy's IL placement. Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández will get some of the playing time at third base in the interim.
Manager Dave Roberts also said that Tommy Edman would begin taking balls at third base, opening the door for Hyeseong Kim to continue getting opportunities at second against right-handed starting pitchers. Edman's last game action at the hot corner came in 2022, and he's made 94 appearances (59 starts) there overall.
Muncy went down on a play in the top of the sixth inning on Wednesday night. White Sox center fielder Michael A. Taylor attempted to steal third base, but Will Smith made a successful throw over to Muncy for the second out of the frame. Muncy and Taylor collided when the Dodgers' third baseman applied the tag, and Muncy grabbed at his left knee after falling to the ground.
Muncy remained down for a couple minutes before being helped off the field by a Dodgers trainer. He was replaced at third base by Hernández, and Taylor later exited the game as well with a left trap contusion.
The injury came just before Clayton Kershaw struck out the final hitter of the sixth inning, making him the 20th member of the elusive 3,000-strikeout club. Now that Muncy knows that he avoided the worst, missing that moment stings almost as much as being injured.
"The first thought that honestly was really going through my head as I'm laying on the ground," Muncy said, "was, ‘Dang, I have to make Kersh sit there and think about stuff right now.' … And then I'm in the X-ray room and you hear the crowd roar, and it was kind of like, ‘Oh, man, I missed it.’
"That was honestly the most heartbreaking thing to me. Obviously, getting hurt sucks and missing time sucks, but to not be able to be out there on that field with him when he got 3,000 was a pretty big blow."
After scuffling at the plate through the first month and change, Muncy emerged as one of the Dodgers' steadiest bats in May and June. Since April 30, Muncy slashed .287/.414/.575 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs.
Bone bruises can be tricky. The recovery timeline can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the severity. Angels star Mike Trout notably missed only a month after suffering a bone bruise in his knee earlier this year. Dodgers catcher Will Smith sustained a bone bruise in his ankle in June 2024 that he could still feel in Spring Training '25, though he's past any lingering discomfort now.
Roberts acknowledged that even once Muncy heals to the point where he can safely return to game action, he'll probably need to manage the injury through the end of the season.
"The healing part of it is going to take time," Roberts said. "But just to know that he's going to be back for a good part of the back end of the season and beyond, we're very relieved."