Dodgers: Dave Roberts Won't Bench Two-Time All-Star Despite Frigid Hitting

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn't going to bench Max Muncy even though he still hasn't been hitting.

Max Muncy still has yet to get it going at the plate this season. Muncy went to the injured list with elbow soreness in late May, and completed a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the Dodgers lineup. The hope was Muncy would come back looking like his All-Star self, but that hasn't been the case.

Since he came back on June 9th, Muncy is batting just .192 and has a .710 OPS. His only home run in that span was has been his infamous long ball against the Chicago White Sox. 

Even though he hasn't been racking up extra-base hits, or hits for that matter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week that he's not going to bench Muncy on "arbitrary" days off to help Max get himself right. From what it sounds like, Muncy is going to be in the lineup everyday (quotes via The Orange County Register's J.P. Hoonstra).

“I think that he’s physically fine, emotionally fine. There will be some days – a day or two (off) in that stretch of (19) in a row. He’s built to play every day so I don’t think I need to find arbitrary days to sit him, especially if he’s swinging the bat well.”

Now to be fair to Roberts, the Dodgers don't have a big bat waiting on the bench. Edwin Ríos is out with a hamstring injury so Muncy will just have to keep grinding.

“Freddie and Max, to me, (are) prominent guys in the lineup from that side of the batter’s box. When Max is good it makes everyone’s job easier.”