Dodgers call up overlooked trade acquisition in Max Muncy IL roster move

Max Muncy left Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox in the top of the sixth inning after Michael A. Taylor dove headfirst into his knee while attempting to steal third base. The Dodgers infielder writhed around on the ground in pain before being helped off the field by medical personnel.

Initial reports were hopeful that Muncy suffered a sprain, but the team sent their third baseman for an MRI on Thursday. While the official results have yet to be released, it would appear that an IL stint is in his future. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Esteury Ruiz is being called up to the big leagues and will join the Dodgers ahead of their series finale against the White Sox.

Ruiz is a speedster, and one of the fastest men in baseball. He spent spring training with the Athletics and was traded to the Dodgers in early-April. Ruiz has spent the first half of the 2025 season with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City and has been playing quite well of late. On the year, Ruiz is hitting .292/.394/.458 with eight home runs and 37 RBI.

Dodgers call up overlooked trade acquisition Esteury Ruiz in Max Muncy IL roster move

That power surge — and his well-documented speed — certainly had to catch the eye of the Dodgers' brass. Though Ruiz is not an infielder, adding him to the active roster will help to keep utility man Kiké Hernandez on the infield dirt. Dodgers fans should look for Hernandez to (possibly) split time with Miguel Rojas at the hot corner during Muncy's absence.

Dodgers fans shouldn't look for Ruiz to receive many starts in the outfield, but rather act as late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner when the opportunity arises. Andy Pages, Michael Conforto, and Teoscar Hernandez will continue to get the lion's share of starts in LA's outfield.

It remains to be seen how much time Muncy is expected to miss. However, if we're talking about months and not weeks, that could shift LA's focus once the MLB trade deadline comes around. At least two NL West rivals — the Arizona Diamondbacks (Eugenio Suárez) and Colorado Rockies (Ryan McMahon) — could be selling high on their corner infielders, and the Dodgers may well have to get involved if Muncy is slated to miss significant time.

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