The Los Angeles Dodgers are still waiting for Max Muncy to return from an oblique injury that’s kept him sidelined longer than expected. Muncy has appeared in over half of the team’s games this season, but injuries continue to be an issue. He’s currently dealing with a right oblique strain that landed him back on the IL.
“Less than two weeks after returning, Muncy is headed back to the 10-day IL, this time with a Grade 1 oblique strain on his right side. The Dodgers expect him to return this season, but his absence will be longer than the minimum 10 days,” MLB.com’s Sonja Chen wrote.
The focus now is making sure he’s completely healthy before rushing back.
Muncy himself seems committed to taking it slow. “Yeah, we’re getting there,” he said. “We’re just trying to be cautious and be careful with everything that we’re doing. At this point in the season, we can’t really afford to have anything set me back. So we’re just being real slow and real cautious and making sure that everything feels completely normal before we progress to the next steps.”
Smart approach, considering where they are in the season.
Looking Ahead to 2025
But there’s chatter that the Dodgers might already be thinking about life after Muncy. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller floated an interesting possibility – the team could target Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami, who played alongside Shohei Ohtani in the World Baseball Classic.
Murakami’s been out most of this season after arthroscopic elbow surgery, but his track record speaks for itself. The 25-year-old mashed 223 home runs from 2019-24, and he’s expected to be posted this winter as a traditional free agent.
“Murakami has missed most of this season due to an arthroscopic surgery in his throwing elbow, but he mashed 223 home runs from 2019-24 and is still just 25 years old. The expectation remains that he will be posted this winter and will be a traditional free agent, able to immediately sign a major deal (a la Yoshinobu Yamamoto) as opposed to needing to go the Roki Sasaki route. Prediction: Murakami signs a six-year deal with the Dodgers, becoming the heir apparent to Max Muncy at third base,” Miller wrote.
It makes sense when you think about it. The Dodgers have added a marquee Japanese player each of the last two offseasons, so why not make it three in a row? Murakami would bring serious power to an already potent lineup.
Moving on from Muncy would sting – he’s been a cornerstone of this franchise. But at 25, Murakami represents the kind of long-term investment the Dodgers love making. And if his power numbers translate to MLB, he could be exactly what they need at the hot corner.
For now though, it’s all about getting Muncy healthy for what they hope will be another deep playoff run.
