For Dodgers' Max Muncy, return to All-Star Game has extra meaning
LOS ANGELES - When the initial MLB All-Star rosters were announced on the Fourth of July, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stood in the middle of the clubhouse, congratulating each of the team's five All-Stars and handing out the information packets that come with the selection.
Third baseman Max Muncy stood up and walked forward to shake Roberts' hand when his turn came. At his side was his 3-year-old son Wyatt, who accepted the folder for his dad.
"He doesn't quite understand what being an All-Star really means. He just knows it's really cool," Muncy said. "He wouldn't let anyone else have that folder."
Wyatt wasn't born yet the last time his dad was an All-Star. Neither were his two sisters – Macie, who was born last January and Sophie who was born shortly after the game in July 2021.
The chance to go back to the All-Star Game and share the experience with his family "really meant a lot to me," Muncy said. Validation that he is back to playing at an All-Star level after a rocky five-year stretch is welcome as well.
"It's coming back from injuries, finding ways to stay healthy – regaining form I guess you'd call it," Muncy said. "Just getting back to the player that I had been for several years before I started getting hurt. For me, it's just a recognition of that."
The physical challenges have included a broken finger (suffered during summer camp before the delayed 2020 season), a UCL tear in his left elbow (suffered on the final day of the regular season in 2021), a hamstring injury (2023), a serious knee injury (2025) and frustratingly recurring oblique injuries.
"Maybe you're just one of these guys who always has these crazy injuries," Muncy admitted to thinking at times. "I got hit in the wrist in '19, broke my wrist. I got hit in the hand in '20 during summer camp, broke my finger. It was like every year there was something and you can't really control that. It was just kind of the way it went.
"Then you have the muscular injuries and a lot of time that's something you can control. With an oblique, I don't know how much you can control that. Maybe you tone down your swing or something like that. For me, the more we dove into that we started understanding just the way my body is. My torso being shorter and compressed, it just puts a lot of stress on that area. So there's not much we can do about that.
"It's a frustrating thing where you started thinking maybe you're just a guy who's going to be hurt a lot. And you don't ever want to think like that."
Muncy dropped 17 pounds over the winter with a new diet and workout regimen, reporting for spring training at his lightest weight in years. Part of it was injury prevention. But Muncy (who signed a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2028) also knew he had to get better at third base if he wanted to finish his career with the Dodgers – which he definitely does.
"That's just the truth," said Muncy, who has now made the All-Star team at three different positions (first, second and third base). "We have a Hall of Famer at first base (Freddie Freeman). We have the greatest player ever at DH (Shohei Ohtani). I'm probably a little too old to start playing second base again.
"The reality of the situation was if I want to continue being a Dodger I had to learn to play third base. There really is no ifs ands or butts about that. I had to get better."
That mission seemed to be accomplished this year – until he made errors in each of his final three games before the All-Star break.
Overall, Roberts says Muncy is "playing as good defense as he's ever played" at third base. Even with his defensive slump last week, Muncy still ranks third among National League third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (via the Fielding Bible's rankings).
Offensively, Muncy leads all NL third baseman in slugging percentage (.488) and OPS (.842) and is tied for second in home runs (17). It wasn't entirely coincidental that the Dodgers' offense slumped when Muncy was out for extended time with his injuries the past two seasons. His impact on the lineup is "real," Roberts said.
"It's the truth that when he's not playing our team doesn't perform as well," Roberts said. "So having him in the middle of our order, it's certainly been big for us. He's one of those under-the-radar MVPs to go along with all those names we have. When he's not in the lineup, it shows.
"Just his at-bat quality when he's in the lineup has stabilized things. He's been – outside of Freddie – he's been our most consistent hitter all year."
The Dodgers get that from Muncy for a relatively low price. There are nights when he is the eighth-highest paid player in the starting lineup ($10 million in 2026) with only Andy Pages making less. The longest-tenured Dodger (in terms of continuous service), Muncy has repeatedly signed extensions with the Dodgers for less money than he might have gotten on the free-agent market.
"For me, it was never about getting the money. It was always about getting the opportunity to win," he said. "That was the thing for me. If I'm going to play this game that I love, the reason I love it is because I love to compete, I want to be in the best spot to compete to win and there's no better spot than here. That was always the deciding factor in those decisions. That's why it's always been a no-brainer for me. The money didn't really matter. It's the chance to compete and win and I get that every day here.
"It's gotten to the point now where I don't even know if I could put on a different uniform. … I can't imagine putting on any other color. Not being in this stadium with these coaches, the staff members, the clubbies, the training staff, Tyrone and Kristen (Manager of Performance Nutrition Tyrone Hall and Head Performance Chef Kristen Loiacono), the kitchen staff. I know everybody. Everyone is like family here. That was part of it, trying to find a place where you can build those relationships again didn't sound appealing to me."
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