The Los Angeles Dodgers are urgently looking for reinforcements for their lineup.
As the race for the National League West spots heats up in mid-August, LA is overcoming some of the injury issues that have plagued them all year and are now beginning to resemble a team that could contend for the World Series in October.
While pitcher injuries have largely defined their up-and-down 2024 season, some key lineup injuries have also played a role. Now they are in the process of bringing third baseman Max Muncy and all-arounder Tommy Edman off the injured list.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported Monday that the Dodgers are expected to activate this pair. According to Ardaya, infielder Nick Ahmed’s locker was cleaned out and rookie outfielder Andy Pages was in the process of cleaning out his locker.
Muncy has been battling an oblique abdominal muscle injury since mid-May. His absence from the lineup corresponded with an extended period of weakness on offense for the Dodgers. He is expected to return to the everyday third base position while adding some momentum to the middle of LA’s batting order. They have hit 15 home runs from third base this year. Muncy is responsible for nine of those home runs despite playing in just 40 of the club’s 125 games.
With Pages likely moving to Triple-A, Edman is a candidate for the Dodgers’ center field position. He was a Gold Glove second baseman in 2021, but has played 316.2 innings in center field and 495.2 innings in right field in his career. Edman could also fill in at shortstop, where he played more than 1,100 innings as a pro.
Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, Edman has yet to play in the 2024 season after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. Regardless of where he plays, he offers a lot of versatility that should make manager Dave Roberts’ life a little easier when assembling a lineup each day.
It has been a mixed season for Roberts as he tries to overcome the multitude of injuries that have plagued his club.
Pages has been a reliable center fielder for most of the season, but he’s struggled lately. He has just a .200 batting average and .296 on-base percentage in the second half. Pages has also hit just one home run in 81 batting appearances since the All-Star break.
The Dodgers looked like they had acquired an everyday center fielder in Pages, but his struggles over the last month will force them to rely on veterans like Edman, Kiké Hernández and Kevin Kiermaier in the closing stages.
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