The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that infielder Max Muncy has been activated from the injured list before Monday’s matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is in the lineup and will bat fifth.
Muncy had been on the IL since July 3 with a bone bruise in his left knee suffered when the Chicago White Sox’s Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base.
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With Muncy’s return, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked if that might affect Mookie Betts’ spot in the batting order. Roberts moved Betts back to the No. 2 spot in the lineup on Sunday after batting him leadoff for the previous nine games, swapping him with Shohei Ohtani. He added that Muncy’s return might influence whether Betts could eventually be moved lower in the order.
For now, however, Betts is staying in the No. 2 spot.
“I’m going to continue to believe in him and trust that he’s the best option,” Roberts told reporters, via Fox Sports’ Rowan Kavner.
Betts is hitless in his past four games, going 0-for-16 with one walk and two RBI. Before Sunday’s game, he told reporters that he’s tried everything he can think of to improve his hitting.
“I’ve done everything possible,” Betts said to USA Today’s James H. Williams. “It’s just kind of the same result. I’m out of answers. I’ve done everything I can do. It’s up to God at this point.”
Meanwhile, Roberts said he was happy with Betts’ approach at the plate, even if it hadn’t yielded any hits recently.
Before getting injured, Muncy was batting .250/,375/.457 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 55 RBI in 315 plate appearances. But he’d significantly improved in June, hitting .333/.459/.654 with seven homers and 24 RBI while drawing 19 walks in 98 PAs.
Despite Betts’ struggles and Muncy’s absence, the Dodgers still rank second in MLB with a .768 team OPS and fifth with a .254 team batting average.
To open a spot for Muncy on the active roster, utilityman Tommy Edman went on the IL with a sprained right ankle. He re-aggravated the injury while rounding first base during the fifth inning of Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Edman has battled an ankle injury throughout the season and previously went on the IL in May because of it.
The Dodgers (65-47) have won four of their past six games going into Monday’s matchup and hold a three-game lead over the San Diego Padres (62-50) for first place in the NL West.
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