Dave Roberts gives shockingly positive Max Muncy injury update

Believe Dave Roberts at your own peril (he’s a company man, after all), but the Dodgers skipper just delivered the first bit of positive Max Muncy news we’ve heard since the slugger was knocked out of the team’s 2021 playoff run.

Roberts held court at Friday’s media session, first revealing that a new contract in Los Angeles is just around the corner. After removing that worry from the docket, he then channeled Dodgers fans’ nervous energy into addressing a few recent personnel rumors.

Trevor Bauer? He might be in camp in the coming weeks, and he might not be. Stay tuned there. Can’t be ruled out.

Visa worries? Disregard them. Every Dodger who needs to be in Arizona will be there, per Roberts’ (very well plugged in) knowledge.

Muncy? Last we heard, he still wasn’t swinging a bat, but … it seems Roberts knows better, considering he now expects the slugger to be ready for an Opening Day that’s suddenly less than a month away.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Max Muncy will be ready for Opening Day

Now … depends on what your definition of ready is.

It appears Muncy is in line to play on April 8 against the Colorado Rockies, but it would be reasonable to assume he might need a bit longer to get up to speed. If you’re a fantasy drafter or prognosticator, you might want to bake in some rust to your assessment.

Still, though … we thought Muncy might struggle to get ready for a delayed opener, let alone a nearly-on-time one.

Now, the only question remaining: what position will Muncy be playing? Will he take advantage of the Universal DH? Or will he move over to second base to make room for a new teammate, someone both he and Roberts have been winking at.

The throw from second base doesn’t typically take a very strong elbow — though maybe that’s a 2023 question, considering the shift isn’t quite banned yet.

The Dodgers will be thrilled to have Muncy back in whatever capacity possible, especially after they got a long October look at what life might be like without him.

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