With less than three weeks to prepare for Opening Day of the 2020 and without a chance to play Cactus League games, the Los Angeles Dodgers are relying on an abundance of live batting practice and intrasquad games during Summer Camp.
Their first scrimmage was Sunday night, and the team played a second on Monday. While the lineups for both games have included several regulars, Max Muncy was not part of the back-to-back due to being hit in his left hand.
“He took a ball off the finger, so we just wanted to give him some time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s going to lay low for a little bit. Right now, he’s kind of day-to-day. It was his left ring finger … the metacarpal. “Hopefully we’ll get him back sooner than later.”
When asked if he had any concerns over Muncy potentially not being ready for the start of the season, Roberts said, “No. Not at all.”
Muncy is coming off a first career All-Star season in which he batted .251/.374/.515 with 22 doubles, 35 home runs and 98 RBI. The 29-year-old set career highs in runs (101), doubles, home runs, RBI and walks (90).
Since joining the Dodgers, Muncy ranks among the National League leaders with 176 runs (16th), 177 RBI (tied-15th), 70 home runs (sixth), .545 slugging percentage (seventh) and .927 on-base plus slugging (fifth).
He missed time last year after being hit by a pitch in his left wrist and sustaining a fracture. It was a bit of a best-case scenario for the Dodgers, as Muncy only missed two weeks and was activated off the 10-day injured list in the middle of September.
During the offseason, Muncy was among nine arbitration-eligible players the Dodgers tended a contract to. Although they were unable to come to terms by the deadline, they exchanged salary figures and later agreed to a three-year contract extension that includes a club option for 2023.
His deal reportedly is worth $26 million, with the option valued at $13 million and a $1.5 million buyout. Muncy’s contract is also said to have included a signing bonus and incentives for MVP voting that will increase the value of the team option.
Jimmy Nelson
Elsewhere on the injury front, Jimmy Nelson was scheduled to undergo season-ending back surgery on Tuesday. He signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers during the offseason.
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