Muncy's wrist 'pretty painful' but not fractured

PHOENIX -- Max Muncy was out of the Dodgers’ lineup for Thursday night’s opener against the D-backs, and he won’t play until at least early next week. But there was still encouraging news for the Los Angeles infielder.

After getting hit by a pitch on his right wrist during Wednesday’s win over the Padres, Muncy underwent X-rays before Thursday’s game at Chase Field. The results were negative, leading to a diagnosis that Muncy has a contusion, but no fracture.

“That was the main positive of the day,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after an 11-5 loss to the D-backs.

Muncy underwent a fluoroscopy exam in San Diego on Wednesday, but that type of imaging isn’t as thorough as an X-ray, so there was still concern about the possibility of a hairline fracture in his wrist.

Wearing a soft brace before Thursday’s game, Muncy said his wrist had felt “pretty painful” throughout the day, and that his range of motion wasn’t great. In addition to getting X-rays, he also met with hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan.

Another reason for concern prior to Thursday’s exam was the fact that outfielder Chris Taylor sustained a similar injury last month, but it ended up being worse than initially diagnosed. Like Muncy, Taylor first underwent a fluoroscopy exam before X-rays revealed a left forearm fracture that caused him to miss five weeks.

If Muncy was going to miss a similar period of time, Roberts said the Dodgers would have been “a little more aggressive” with their September callups after rosters expand Sunday.

Before Thursday’s game, Roberts said Muncy wouldn’t return until next week at the earliest, so there’s no clear timetable for when he could be back in the lineup.

Urias nears return

Left-hander Julio Urías pitched two-plus innings for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday as he nears his return to the Dodgers from a 20-game suspension. Roberts said the southpaw will rejoin the team on Tuesday.

Urias allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with two strikeouts in the Quakes’ game against Lake Elsinore. The 23-year-old lefty is 4-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 27 games (six starts) for Los Angeles this season.

Roberts expresses faith in Jansen

Although Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has struggled of late, Roberts doesn’t plan on changing how he utilizes the right-hander.
Jansen has blown three of his last four save opportunities, posting a 5.14 ERA over his last seven appearances. He blew a save chance in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s win, allowing the game-tying run to score on a wild pitch.

“This is as little a workload as he’s had in the last, I know four years, I would assume five years,” Roberts said. “We’re going to keep running him out there. … Kenley’s a guy we’re going to need and we’re going to count on.”