English
Español
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy revealed the strategy Dodgers veterans took heading into spring training this year.
Muncy made his 2026 spring training debut with the Dodgers during their sixth game of Cactus League play on Thursday, and other players, like All-Star Mookie Betts, are still yet to make an appearance in a game. The veteran third baseman revealed this is all according to plan.
“For a lot of us coming off back-to-back World Series, just trying to prioritize rest over the offseason,” Muncy said. “That was a conversation that was had with several people.
“…It was kind of ‘Give your body as much rest as possible. We’ll start ramping up a little later than normal.’ As a result, we’re just not ready for the first week of games. But we’re still scheduled to get more than 50 at-bats which is definitely plenty to get ready”
Manager Dave Roberts said the same thing when asked why Betts hadn’t yet made an in-game appearance for L.A.
“It’s not load management and just kind of, you know, I wanted Mookie to kind of start a little bit later as far as not getting into spring training ready to go and kind of use spring training to build up given it’s six weeks, so he’s building up nicely, so he’ll be in the lineup soon,” Roberts said.
Most of the team’s veterans will remain present at the Dodgers’ camp throughout spring training as the only four players participating from the MLB roster are Edwin Diaz, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Hyeseong Kim. With most of their veterans present, the Dodgers — who have the oldest position player core in MLB — will be able to ramp up at the speed the team sees as fit.
How are the Dodgers Performing at Spring Training so Far?
The Dodgers are off to an electric start to spring training, winning all of their first six games of Cactus League play. As of Thursday, they stand as the sole undefeated team across both spring training leagues.
Their results are largely due to stellar offensive contributions across the board, with players like Kim especially standing out. Even without the players they’ll be missing during the WBC, the Dodgers are clearly still the dominant force they have been over the past couple of years.
They’ll look to continue their momentum into the regular season as they try to defend their World Series title.
Do you agree with the Dodgers’ rest strategy?