MLB Playoffs: How will the Dodgers fill the gaps of Max Muncy and Clayton Kershaw?

The Los Angeles Dodgers they won 106 games during the 2021 regular season, but had to go through a lot of adversity along the way. In May, LA lost the young right-hander Dustin May, who was beginning to show why he was a former great prospect, during the season after he underwent Tommy John surgery.

The Dodgers also lost the Puerto Rican Edwin Rios, a capable bat off the bench, during the season after he opted for right shoulder surgery in May after a rocky start at the plate:

Right-hander Tony Gonsolin and outfielder Cody Bellinger missed two months each due to injuries. And even after his return, the Dodgers didn’t appear to be completely healthy.

Shortstop Corey Seager was out for nearly three months with a broken right hand. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw missed nearly three months with a left elbow injury.

Outfielder AJ Pollock missed time due to recurring injuries to his right hamstring. Bellinger and Gonsolin returned to the inactive list. At one point, manager Dave Roberts declined to discuss the possibility of having his entire squad in good shape due to fear of cursing it.

But after months of dealing with a frustrating amount of injuries, the Dodgers suddenly became a healthy team heading into the final week of the regular season. They finally threw a five-man rotation after months of bullpen games, and their offense was starting to click:

However, over the weekend, everything changed again. Kershaw will be out for the remainder of the postseason after sustaining another left elbow / forearm injury in his final regular-season start last Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodgers Stadium.

Then on Sunday, first baseman Max Muncy injured his left elbow after colliding with Jace Peterson at first base. It is “highly unlikely” that Muncy will play in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game. Their availability in subsequent rounds is also in question.

It may interest you: MLB Playoffs Possible Dodgers lineup for Wild Card game

Throughout the season, the philosophy of the Dodgers was to overcome injuries using their depth. It worked for them all year, but Muncy and Kershaw’s injuries raise some questions about the roster that will need to be answered in the coming days. Let’s take a look at the pending decisions on the Dodgers roster:

1. How do the Dodgers replace Muncy’s production?

2. Who replaces Kershaw?

Rafael Martinez

I am fond of the King of Sports, especially the Boston Red Sox in MLB and in general all of Mexican baseball. This profession has given me the opportunity to cover major events such as the Caribbean Series, LMB All Star, LMP (uninterrupted since 2009), signings of important players. I had the chance to attend the 2013 World Classic in Arizona, USA, albeit as a fan. Apart from this beautiful sport, I love basketball, where I have also narrated games and even an NBA friendly 10 years ago, but I carry baseball in my veins. Bachelor of Communication Sciences from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) , from which I graduated in 2011. I was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa and started in the world of sports journalism in 2004 in the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán, where I was a baseball columnist and reporter at the same time. In January 2009 I came to El Debate as a journalist reporter and it was almost six years (in the first stage), until in November 2014 I emigrated to the radio providing my services at Línea Directa-Grupo RSN. My cycle there ended in July 2019 and within days, El Debate gave me another opportunity to work and opened the doors for me again. That is how I came to Al Bat, where I have been since 2019 as a web journalist.

see more