Imago
Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press
Imago
Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press
Max Muncy’s 2025 season began with a brutal slump, hitting just .180 through his first few games. Then, Muncy was diagnosed with astigmatism and started wearing glasses. And the results were simply incredible immediately after.
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Muncy posted an amazing .289/.425/.598 slash line with a 1.023 OPS and 17 home runs over his next 61 games. Then a knee injury in early July sidelined him for more than a month. He hit .348 in just over a week in 8 games since his return, only to suffer yet another setback with an oblique strain on August 12.
With all of this, his season was limited to just 89 games just before his looming free agency in the next winter.
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So, in the middle of this rollercoaster season and so many speculations, MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand recently weighed in, “Knee and oblique injuries have limited Muncy to 89 games this season, but the third baseman has been superb since starting the season with a poor April, hitting 17 home runs with 64 RBIs and an .880 OPS.”
As for record, Muncy has a $10 million club-friendly option for 2026. Will the Dodgers pick it up? According to Feinsand, it seems likely.
“Muncy has said he wants to retire as a Dodger, and while that’s still far from a certainty, it seems likely that he will be back in 2026.”
And the advanced numbers also back up Feinsand’s assessment. Muncy’s advanced stats place him among baseball’s best hitters. He ranks in the 99th percentile for walk rate and the 96th for chase rate, which means he almost never swings at bad pitches. His 94th percentile for hard-hit percentage is also off the charts. That’s why the decision to bring him back is nearly a no-brainer.
But the Dodgers’ front office is known for making tough decisions.
Two paths for Muncy’s future
The Dodgers have shown recently that they aren’t afraid to move on from franchise icons like Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor. So, the front office could look to younger, internal options like prospect Alex Freeland or Oswaldo Osorio, Chase Harlan, and Jake Gelof. Though the other players, except Freeland, are in the lower levels of the minors and are not an immediate option.
Or, they can wait for the right situation to go for Alex Bregman, who has an opt-out clause in his contract and is expected to hit the free agency. There will be other veterans like Eugenio Suárez, Yoán Moncada, and Gio Urshela in the market. And we can’t exclude international market options like Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
But the case for keeping Muncy is incredibly strong as his club-friendly $10 million salary is a potential steal compared to his production. Even with this limited time in the lineup, Muncy has the second-highest Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 146 among all the active third basemen this season. This means he is nearly 50% better than the league average. This creates a powerful argument for his return in 2026.
But right now, the team needs all the help it can get as they are battling for first place with just a two-game lead in a tight division race with the San Diego Padres. And recent injuries of players like Tommy Edman and Alex Call already show how fragile their world-famous depth could be. So, the question remains: Will the Dodgers make the call to bring him back? What do you think?
Written by
Edited by
Deepanshi Bajaj