The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost third baseman Max Muncy for an indefinite amount of time thanks to a bone bruise suffered Wednesday night.
While the timeline for his return is unknown (though Muncy shared informally that he expects to be out at least six weeks) the Dodgers have to make a decision regarding the newly opened spot in their lineup. In 81 games this season, Muncy is slashing .250/.375/.457, with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. As usual, he's providing lots of power and on-base prowess while being a below-average defender with plenty of strikeouts. That's who he is at this point in his career.
The Dodgers have a $10 million club option on Muncy for 2026, so if they were able to find a longer-term solution at the hot corner, they could decline that and make him a free agent.
Los Angeles has options for what to do in the absence of their longtime third baseman. Below is a look at three potential replacements.
Kiké Hernandez (In-house)
Hernandez is almost certain to get the first crack at replacing Muncy. The 12-year veteran has spent nine years of his career in Los Angeles and is a trusted member of the organization. A pure utility man, he can play all over the diamond. He's spent time at third base over the years and has nine appearances there in 2025.
This would be the "hold serve" option. The Dodgers have enough offense that his .204/.270/.383 slash line wouldn't hurt them much. He'd play adequate defense and has a penchant for coming through in the clutch. He also wouldn't cost them anything in prospects to acquire like other options will.
Eugenio Suarez (Trade)
Suarez would be the swing-for-the-fence option. The Diamondbacks slugger would require a haul of prospects, given that he's one of the National League's best power hitters and would be coming from a division rival. The 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract and is playing like it. He is slashing .250/.319/.555 with 26 home runs and 69 RBIs. The latter two numbers both rank second in the NL.
The Diamondbacks wouldn't surrender Suarez easily but they'd likely relish the chance to prune L.A.'s loaded farm system in exchange for a rental, especially since Arizona has top prospect Jordan Lawlar waiting in the wings to take over at the hot corner.
Nolan Arenado (Trade)
Everyone has known for months that the Cardinals would love to move Arenado, who has a no-trade clause, and he'd almost certainly welcome a trade back to his Southern California home. The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove-winner would be a major upgrade over Muncy defensively, though he isn't the hitter he once was. So far in 2025, he's slashing .247/.306/.395 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in 80 games.
Arenado had three years and $74 million left on his contract entering the 2025 season, so St. Louis would likely have to eat some of that to get anything of value from the Dodgers. L.A. could drive a hard bargain to take on the 34-year-old.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Options Dodgers Could Consider at Third Base Without Max Muncy.
