For much of the summer, putting together a daily lineup was a tiresome exercise for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, toiling to piece together a patchwork roster plagued by injuries.
On Monday afternoon, however, the Dodgers skipper almost smiled when asked about that night’s batting order.
“On the position player side,” he said, “this, since opening day, is as healthy as we’ve been.”
Indeed, in a visual reminder of the Dodgers’ offensive potential when at full strength, the team fielded its best lineup in weeks — maybe months — for its series opener against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium.
Freddie Freeman followed leadoff hitters Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the third spot, having avoided the injured list despite being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right middle finger earlier Monday.
Max Muncy and Tommy Edman were activated from the injured list, resupplying the Dodgers with their opening-day third baseman (Muncy had been out since May 15 because of an oblique strain and rib injury) and marquee trade deadline acquisition (Edman had yet to play this season, for the Dodgers or St. Louis Cardinals, because of offseason wrist surgery and a sprained ankle).
Even the one player who went on the IL — backup catcher Austin Barnes, who suffered a toe fracture after fouling a ball off his foot Sunday — is expected to miss the minimum 10 days, Roberts said.
“It seemed like everyone was pretty excited today, getting a couple pieces back,” Muncy said. “Definitely a little pep in the step for everybody, so hopefully we can just carry that onto the field and we can get everyone going at the right time right now.”
Freeman’s presence in the lineup was the biggest sigh of relief.
After exiting Saturday’s game in the eighth inning with a jammed right middle finger, then missing Sunday’s game because of continued swelling, the veteran first baseman got a CT scan on Monday that showed a hairline fracture.
However, an injured list stint was never much of a consideration, Roberts said, not after Freeman tested his still-bandaged finger in pregame drills and told the team he could tolerate the lingering pain.
“We talked about it briefly, but he was adamant that he was gonna be fine,” Roberts said of Freeman. “He’s a guy that you certainly trust.”
Muncy’s availability also marked a long-awaited return.
For the last three months, the veteran third baseman had endured a series of stops and starts in his recovery from an oblique injury, with continued discomfort derailing a recovery that was initially expected to take only a matter of days.
The problem, Muncy explained Monday, was that in addition to his oblique strain, doctors discovered that he had “a bottom rib that was out of place that was causing a lot of damage.”
Austin Barnes puts down a bunt during a game against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 19, 2023.
(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
“We don’t know,” Muncy said when asked how the rib initially got hurt. “My best guess is maybe the week leading up to when I got hurt, I dove for a ball or something and landed on it wrong, and we just didn’t know it at the time. The day that I got hurt, I already had some bruising down there.”
The issue was finally fixed when Muncy got a “chiropractic adjustment” last month, as Roberts put it then, that repositioned his rib and soon relieved all pain.
What exactly did doctors do?
“I’d re-show you, but I can’t actually physically get my body in that position,” Muncy joked. “It kind of felt like they almost broke my rib. They didn’t, but it almost felt like that’s what happened. It’s one of those things where it hurt in the moment but there was a ton of relief almost immediately. The next day I got an injection and that helped a ton. A day or two after that, it felt like I was never even hurt.”
Edman’s recovery from offseason wrist surgery went even slower, getting pushed back earlier this summer by a sprained ankle he suffered while still with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yet after completing a minor-league rehab assignment alongside Muncy last week, the utilityman is finally ready for both his season and Dodgers debut.
“When you have Tommy Edman hitting ninth, Miguel Rojas and what he’s done for us hitting eighth, Max Muncy at seventh, you’ve got some length in your lineup,” Roberts said.
To make all the pieces fit, the Dodgers designated shortstop Nick Ahmed for assignment and optioned slumping rookie center fielder Andy Pages back to the minors. They also recalled Hunter Feduccia to be a short-term replacement for Barnes.
More help could be on the way soon, with Chris Taylor likely to be activated “within the week,” Roberts said. Taylor will play a couple rehab games with single-A Rancho Cucamonga first.
On the pitching side, reliever Blake Treinen (hip) is expected to be activated on Tuesday. Starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto (shoulder) and reliever Brusdar Graterol (hamstring) continue to throw bullpen sessions. Roberts also reiterated his belief that staff ace Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendinitis) is looking at a “short stint” on the injured list.
To be competitive long term this season, the Dodgers will likely need most, if not all, of those pitchers back before the end of the season.
For Monday night, though, a mostly full-strength lineup was enough for Roberts to crack a grin.
“We’re still trying to get some pitchers to health,” Roberts said. “But as far as offensively, I like the guys we have.”