Dodgers’ Max Muncy Relieved as Wrist X-rays Show No Damage

MILWAUKEE — Max Muncy faced a tense moment on the field but is now breathing a little easier, hopeful that he has avoided a more serious setback.

During Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Muncy was struck on the right wrist by a 95.5 mph sinker thrown by reliever Aaron Ashby, forcing him to leave the game prematurely. However, back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ clubhouse, the mood lightened after X-rays showed no fractures.

“It hurts, but it’s not broken,” Muncy explained, expressing his relief. “It’s a relief, but we need to keep an eye on it over the next few days. X-rays don’t typically show fractures immediately in that area, as injuries can develop later. I believe the ball hit both my wrist pad and my wrist. I haven’t watched the replay yet, but that’s the sensation I had.”

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts shared Muncy’s optimistic view, noting that while Muncy is unlikely to participate in the remainder of the weekend series, the team is confident the injury isn’t severe.

“I think the pad absorbed enough of the impact to protect him,” Roberts stated. “He’ll sit out for the next couple of days to manage the swelling, but right now, we’re feeling relieved.”

Any extended absence of Muncy, 35, would represent a major blow to the Dodgers’ offense. 

The third baseman is batting .258 this season with a team-leading 12 home runs, as well as 19 RBIs and a .878 OPS. He has also said repeatedly that his swing is in as good a place as it has been in years, having finally gotten over elbow and oblique problems that have limited his playing time the last four seasons and disrupted the mechanics of his stroke at the plate.

Muncy has suffered a right wrist fracture before, missing two weeks late in the 2019 season after getting hit by a pitch in a similar area.

This time, however, he said the pain wasn’t quite so intense.

“The biggest thing I always took with me from that (2019 injury) was just the nauseous feeling that you get, and I didn’t quite have that tonight,” he said. “So that’s why I’m feeling pretty optimistic about it.”

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The Dodgers will have options to replace Muncy over the next several days, with Santiago Espinal set to handle third base on Saturday and Kiké Hernández scheduled to return from the injured list for his season debut on Monday back in Los Angeles.

If all goes well with Muncy, though, he could be back in action by Tuesday.

“It hurt really, really bad,” he said. “In that moment, you’re trying to figure out what you can feel. Trying to assess how bad you think it is. 

But, he added, “I think we skipped the worst.”

A bullet, the Dodgers hope, dodged indeed.