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Max Muncy was removed from Thursday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field after being hit by a pitch in the right hand/wrist area during the eighth inning. The good news: initial X-rays came back negative, per staff at Dodger Blue. The Dodgers lost the game — a rematch of last year’s NLCS — but Muncy’s health is the bigger story coming out of Milwaukee tonight.

Muncy has been a cornerstone of this lineup for years now. The left-handed slugger came up through the Oakland system before the Dodgers plucked him off waivers back in 2017, and he’s been one of the most consistent power threats in the National League since breaking out in 2018. He’s a two-time All-Star with a career OPS well north of .800, and his ability to draw walks and get on base makes him far more valuable than the batting average alone suggests. At 35, he’s still a key piece of our everyday lineup, splitting time between third base and first base depending on the roster configuration. Losing him for any stretch — especially with the pitching staff already banged up — would be a real problem.

The wrist and hand area is always a concern for hitters, even when X-rays are clean. Bone bruises, soft tissue damage, ligament issues — those don’t always show up on an initial X-ray, and they can linger. I’d expect the team to get additional imaging done, likely an MRI, before making any definitive declarations about his availability. We’ve seen guys get hit in that spot, get clean X-rays, and then miss weeks because of swelling or discomfort that doesn’t subside. So while the negative X-ray is encouraging, this one bears watching over the next couple of days.

For the Dodgers, the timing is less than ideal. We’re already dealing with a pitching staff that’s been thinned out by injuries — Dave Roberts has publicly acknowledged the team needs to grind through that — and the lineup can’t afford to lose one of its most dependable bats. If Muncy does have to sit, Kiké Hernández or Miguel Rojas could see increased reps at the corners, but neither brings the same power from the left side. The depth is there to survive a short absence, but anything beyond a few days starts to get uncomfortable.

Bottom line: the negative X-ray is the best-case first step. But we need to see how Muncy responds over the next 24 to 48 hours before anyone exhales. I’ll update this as soon as we hear more from the club on additional tests or his status for the rest of the Milwaukee series.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: May 23, 2026 3:16 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers