When the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list because of a bone bruise in his left knee, there was an initial expectation he would miss around six weeks.
While that represented an extended stretch, Muncy was relieved an MRI did not reveal any structural damage in his knee and he would return at some point in 2025.
The 34-year-old’s recovery has since gone better than expected as Muncy resumed fielding grounders at third base and taking batting practice on the field.
According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Muncy is now set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday:
A little less than four weeks after Max Muncy sustained a left knee bone bruise following a scary on-field collision, the Dodgers’ third baseman will join Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Muncy will play third base and take three at-bats for the Comets on Tuesday. It isn’t clear how many games Muncy will need on his rehab assignment, but Roberts did not rule out the two-time All-Star potentially rejoining the team for their series against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend.
However, the more likely scenario is Muncy returning to the Dodgers for the start of their next homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Muncy is in his eighth season with the Dodgers and had been one of the team’s hottest bats before injuring his knee. Since May 15, he is batting .312/.438/.616 with three doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 41 games.
Even though he is ahead of schedule in his recovery, Muncy will likely have to navigate through the lingering effects of his bone bruise for the rest of the 2025 season and possibly next year as well.
“I think it’s probably to the touch, I think it’ll carry onto next year,” Roberts said at the time of Muncy injuring his knee.
“I think that I’ve had those, and there’s certainly a point where you can play, but then there’s still the part of to the touch, it still gets sensitive. So I think that’s going to be around for a while, unfortunately.”
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