LOS ANGELES — As owners of the best record in baseball, with an 8½-game lead in National League West going into Thursday’s games, the Dodgers took a glass-half-full approach to Max Muncy’s left knee injury.
Muncy went on the injured list with a bone bruise in the knee and is expected to miss six weeks, according to the initial timetable. But considering how severe the injury looked, when Muncy’s knee was bent backward by the helmet of a sliding Michael A. Taylor, the team’s worst fears were not realized.
Muncy was replaced on the roster by outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“It was obviously amazing hearing the news that nothing was torn, nothing was ripped. That was definitely a pleasant relief, but the timetable still kind of sucks for me, personally,” Muncy said in the clubhouse Thursday with his left leg in a tight blue sleeve. “You look at around six weeks, maybe a little before, maybe a little after. It was a tough blow, but at the same time, I still get to play baseball this year instead of coming back next year around April.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he did not watch the replay of the injury that occurred on a stolen-base attempt by Taylor in the sixth inning. Taylor’s hard slide upended Muncy, who still made the tag on a throw from catcher Will Smith for the out.
Muncy sprawled on his back as a Dodgers trainer came out to check on him. He had to be helped off the field and was barely able to put any weight on his left leg.
“The healing part of it is going to take time, 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,” Roberts said.
Muncy is batting .250 with an .832 OPS, 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 81 games this season. Over his last 28 games, though, he is batting .326 with nine homers and 31 RBIs.
“To be honest, the first thing that popped into my head was the end of the season in 2021,” Muncy said of an elbow injury that prevented him from participating in the 2021 playoffs and lingered throughout 2022.
“It just wasn’t a pleasant feeling. You immediately start replaying everything in your head, trying to say, ‘What did that feel? Did I feel a pop? Did I hear a pop?’”
Miguel Rojas got the start at third base in place of Muncy on Thursday with Kiké Hernandez also expected to get time at third as well. The Dodgers even have Tommy Edman taking ground balls at third. He last played third base in 2022 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
If Edman spends time at third, it would open up second base for Hyeseong Kim against right-handed pitching.
The thing that seemed to bother Muncy the most about the injury on Wednesday was that it happened immediately before Clayton Kershaw recorded the 3,000th strikeout of his career in the sixth inning.
“I was trying to be like, ‘Hey, get me off this field (so) Kersh can keep going. We can figure it out inside,’” Muncy said. “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.”
Ruiz, who was acquired in a trade from the Athletics in April, led the American League in stolen bases with 67 in 2023. In 66 games at Oklahoma City, he was batting .292 with eight home runs, 37 RBIs and 38 steals.
He will be used in a corner outfield spot and is expected to start a game this weekend against the Houston Astros.
GETTING A LEG UP
Right-handed reliever Michael Kopech had a throwing session on flat ground two days after he was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation and said he was pain free while throwing at 80-90%.
Kopech received a pain-killing injection in the knee Tuesday but still felt discomfort into Wednesday.
Kopech continues to pay the bill for his willingness to step up and pitch through multiple injuries during the playoffs last season. He missed time at the start of this season with forearm discomfort that also led to a shoulder impingement.
Saying he has no regrets for his willingness to contribute to a title run, after starting last season playing for the MLB-worst White Sox, Kopech has made just eight appearances this year while not allowing a run in seven innings.
“It’s definitely frustrating and you want to be a part of it, but it’s best to be healthy at the end and hunting for another (title),” Kopech said.
Because the IL move was retroactive to Saturday, the day after he last pitched, Kopech is eligible to return the day before the All-Star break, but Roberts said a return after the break is more likely.
ALSO
The Dodgers claimed outfielder CJ Alexander from the New York Yankees, while outfielder Steward Berroa was designated for assignment. Alexander has 10 games of major league experience with the Kansas City Royals and the A’s over the past two seasons, going 4 for 25. … Right-hander Ben Casparius will start Friday against the Astros, his third start of the season but first with a realistic chance at pitching five innings, Roberts said. … The Dodgers do not have a starter listed for Sunday’s series finale against the Astros, with Roberts admitting that right-hander Emmet Sheehan is a possibility to return from Oklahoma City for the outing.
UP NEXT
Astros (RHP Lance McCullers Jr., 1-3, 6.61 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Ben Casparius, 6-3, 3.97 ERA), Friday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM