Dodgers' Dave Roberts Makes Max Muncy Decision for Angels Game After Collision
The Los Angeles Dodgers managed to leave Arizona with a 6.5-game lead in the NL West after Thursday night's series finale against the Diamondbacks, but suffered a significant blow when third baseman Max Muncy was involved in a scary collision at first base.
Muncy was legging out an infield single during his second at-bat of the night when he and Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas reached the bag almost simultaneously, with their heads colliding. Both players immediately fell to the ground in pain and were attended to by their respective trainers and managers.
While Muncy managed to get up on his own after a few minutes, he was removed from the game in the fifth inning "with shortness of breath and to rule out a concussion." The Dodgers eventually lost 3-2 after he was replaced by Santiago Espinal as a pinch-runner and later at third base.
Muncy passed concussion protocol, and while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was "pretty with it right now," he added that the 35-year-old would not be available for Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. However, Roberts confirmed that the team expects Muncy to be available at some point over the weekend.
A violent collision between Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas leads to both players leaving the game pic.twitter.com/1NomUpR8qW
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 5, 2026
Muncy, meanwhile, described himself as "pretty banged up."
"I'll be alright," he said postgame. "A little banged up, but we'll be alright. The head got banged up a little bit. I think it was my glasses, maybe, that cut my nose. Not entirely sure. And then, while I was on the ground, I had shortness of breath. Once I was able to get my breath back, I was able to get off the field. But yeah, we're doing OK right now."
While the Dodgers are sitting on a comfortable lead atop the NL West, they will hope Muncy returns to the lineup quickly. Now in his ninth season with the club, he has arguably developed into the league's top third baseman after arriving on a minor-league deal in 2017 following a brief stint with the Athletics.
Across 56 games this season, Muncy has posted a .251 batting average, a .346 on-base percentage, an .859 OPS, 14 home runs, and 22 RBIs, putting him on track for the third All-Star selection of his career.
With the veteran already ruled out for Friday's lineup, the Dodgers will likely turn to Espinal as their primary option at third base, while Alex Freeland could also be considered by Roberts.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 4:22 AM.