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The Los Angeles Dodgers dodged a bullet when Max Muncy didn’t suffer a significant injury in his knee after Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor slid into him.
They didn’t realize how lucky they truly were, though.
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On Friday, just over two weeks after Muncy suffered the injury, the third baseman was on the field at Dodger Stadium swinging a bit for the first time. He’s also started throwing and jogging.
Manager Dave Roberts said Muncy could return “a lot sooner than anticipated.”
Muncy’s initial return timeline was six weeks, which would put him on track to return around mid to late August. However, with the progress he’s making, it sounds like he could be back even sooner, potentially by early August.
“We’re right where we think we should be at,” Muncy said Friday. “Everything feels great. There’s no lingering side effects with it.
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He also said he doesn’t expect the injury to have an impact on his swing since it was to the outside of his knee.
“All in all,” Muncy added, “we’re about as lucky as we could possibly be.”
The Dodgers offense has struggled without its All-Star third baseman, averaging just three runs per game since his injury.
From May 7 to July 2 — which coincided with Muncy’s hot streak — the Dodgers averaged 5.78 runs per game. In that time, Muncy hit .304 with 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and an OPS of 1.009.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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