Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Calls Out White Sox After Max Muncy Injury

Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) flips over Chicago White Sox right fielder Michael A. Taylor (21) after tagging him out on an attempted steal in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw questioned the Chicago White Sox's decision to steal third in the top of the sixth inning on Wednesday night, which resulted in third baseman Max Muncy suffering a bone bruise in his knee.

White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor slid headfirst into the bag at third, and his momentum carried him into Muncy's left knee after being tagged out. Muncy remained on the floor for several minutes after the incident before being helped off the field. The White Sox held a 4-2 lead at the time of the incident.

“He’s huge,” Clayton Kershaw said of Muncy. “I don’t really know why he stole there. It just seemed unnecessary. We’re all holding our breath that Munc is going to be OK.

“He’s obviously a huge part of our team, especially the last two months.”

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Kershaw recorded his 3,000th career strikeout in the same at-bat, becoming the third active pitcher to reach that milestone. The Dodgers scored three runs in the ninth to secure a walk-off win, and swept the White Sox with a win on Thursday night.

Muncy has been on a tear since breaking out of a slump at the end of April, and has hit all 13 of his home runs this season since April 30. He has an OPS just shy of 1.000, and has a 172 wRC+ , which is second on the team behind Shohei Ohtani during that stretch.

The Dodgers moved Muncy to the 10-day injured list July 3, and recalled outfielder Esteury Ruiz to take his place.

Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernandez are expected to fill in for the All-Star third baseman in his absence, however, manager Dave Roberts also said Tommy Edman could make some appearances at the hot corner, giving Hyeseong Kim more opportunities to play at second base.

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The Dodgers lead the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants by nine games in the NL West, and have made themselves a comfortable cushion after a 17-10 month of June. They will hope to preserve their lead atop their division heading into a series against the Houston Astros, which begins Friday at 6:10 p.m. PT.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.