First baseman Max Muncy is going on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ injured list with a right oblique muscle strain.
The Dodgers recalled outfielder Luke Raley on Saturday night to take the roster spot of Muncy, who left Friday’s game in the second inning with the defending World Series champions’ latest significant injury woe.
Muncy hit his 14th homer of the season in the first inning of the series opener against the Texas Rangers, but was replaced by Albert Pujols shortly afterward.
Muncy is batting .264 with 33 RBIs in 60 games this season for Los Angeles. Before his oblique injury, he had been struggling with an injured right ankle since getting hurt June 4 in Atlanta.
Outfielder Cody Bellinger also left Friday’s game with left hamstring tightness, and he wasn’t in the Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday. Manager Dave Roberts is cautiously confident Bellinger’s injury isn’t serious.
The Dodgers’ latest round of injury problems has left the champs shuffling their roster. Earlier Saturday, the Dodgers selected infielder Andy Burns from Triple-A Oklahoma City, optioned right-hander Mitch White and designated right-hander Dennis Santana for assignment.
The 30-year-old Burns hasn’t played in the majors since 2016, when he got his only 10 games of big league experience for Toronto without getting a hit. He is batting .330 with five homers and 20 RBIs in Oklahoma City.
Backup first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo (calf) is expected to begin a rehab assignment in Oklahoma City on Sunday. World Series MVP Corey Seager, whose hand was broken by a pitch May 15, is still about two weeks away from starting a rehab assignment.
Bellinger, Seager, infielder Gavin Lux, outfielder AJ Pollock and rookie Zach McKinstry have all missed long stretches of this season with injuries. Starting pitcher Dustin May (right elbow) and infielder Edwin Ríos (right shoulder) are already out for the season, while key reliver Corey Knebel (right lat strain) is unlikely to return until late in the season, if at all.