Max Muncy thriving at third base, Will Smith not ready to return from injured list

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws during the third inning of the baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Max Muncy drove in a pair of runs with a first-inning single and also walked twice on Friday night. The Dodgers third baseman leads his National League peers at the position in several offensive categories this season, hitting .265/.371/.518 with a 147 wRC+ and 16 home runs two days shy of the halfway point of the season.

Muncy also had a sizable lead in the first round of All-Star voting as he tries to make his third career All-Star Game. Muncy is also excelling on defense this year, and talked to Rowan Kavner at Fox Sports about his season, including the strides he’s made at the hot corner after moving back to the position in 2022:

“When I’d do my work, I’d feel very free with the glove, not afraid to field [the ball] at different positions, field it off-balance, field it on the wrong foot,” Muncy told me. “And then when the game would come, I just couldn’t find that freedom. The ball would get hit to me, and I would tense up. My feet would get stuck. I would be scared to field the ball one-handed, even though that’s how I do most of my work.”

Links​

• Will Smith was eligible to return from the injured list before Friday’s series opener, but his neck inflammation still lingers. The Dodgers catcher will not be activated this weekend, manager Dave Roberts said Friday. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register has more.
• Ben Clemens at FanGraphs sought context for how relievers handle inherited runners, using the run expectancies of every situation when a pitching change is made. Among the standouts is Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia, who has allowed only three of his 19 inherited runners to score.
• Pablo Goldstein at LA Material wrote about a feud between two Dodgers fans and their dogs after a pair of Pups in the Park incidents at Dodger Stadium.

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