Sports
How a 'chiropractic adjustment' finally helped Max Muncy return to the Dodgers
A few days before Max Muncy strained his oblique in May, the Dodgers infielder noticed a bruise on his chest.
At first, he didn’t pay it much mind.
“You look in the mirror and you’re like, ‘Oh I’ve got some weird bruises there. Maybe I took a weird hop on a ground ball in practice or something,’” Muncy recalled recently. “You really don’t even think about it.”
As it turned out, the contusion actually was an early clue in what became a three-month odyssey for Muncy, who languished on the injured list for most of the summer with perhaps the most confounding ailment of any Dodger this season.
When Muncy went on the IL on May 17, the Dodgers expected him to return in a matter of days.
“I remember when it first happened,” manager Dave Roberts said, “we were even contemplating not even making it an IL.”
But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Muncy’s discomfort never improved. His swing never felt right. And as his absence dragged on, he and the Dodgers medical staff started looking for other reasons the 33-year-old’s recovery was taking so long.
“I’d have a good day, and then I’d wake up and it’d feel like Day 1 of the injury,” Muncy said. “It was a whole process to get back to where I felt [OK] to even start to swing.”
Eventually, doctors discovered the root of Muncy’s issue: One of his bottom ribs was “out of place,” he said. And up until last month, it was starting to seem like it might cost the slugger the rest of his season.
“It was pretty severe,” Muncy said. “It didn’t feel like we were ever going to clear that hurdle.”
Now, however, all that is in the past. After a “chiropractic adjustment,” as Roberts termed it, late last month, Muncy’s rib finally was back into the correct spot. His lingering pain rapidly began to dissipate.
It culminated with his long-awaited activation this week, when he gave the Dodgers the kind of jolt they feared they’d be without for the stretch run: two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs in a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners.
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy celebrates after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Three months of uncertainty and despair, suddenly replaced by three electric days at the plate.
“I’d definitely say it’s unexpected,” Muncy said with a chuckle. “But it felt good. Just trying to keep things simple, and got some good results out there.”
The Dodgers’ new hope: that the saga proves to be a serendipitous turning point in their season, one of the rare injury subplots that might lead to a happy ending for both him and the team.
“To get back, hit the ground running, understand every play, every at-bat is important, and for him to pick us up … we’ve needed every bit of it,” Roberts said. “It’s just really good to have him.”
It didn’t take long for Muncy and the team to realize something was amiss when he was on the IL.
While scans showed he had an unusually bothersome oblique injury — he said in June it was affecting his entire core, rather one specific area — the stop-and-start nature of his recovery raised suspicions that something else was afflicting him.
While Muncy could take ground balls and complete other basic infield drills, any attempt to resume swinging resulted in one setback after another.
“I’d have two, three really good days of swinging, ball would be coming off hot, no pain in the swing at all, bat speed would be great, and then I’d wake up on the third or fourth day and it’d feel like Day 1 of the injury,” Muncy said. “We’d start back over and go back to the drawing board, see what was going on, go get more scans. That process obviously happened three or four times.”
Early in that process, Muncy thought back to that bruise he had before he got hurt. And as his absence dragged on, the medical staff turned its attention to his rib cage, realizing that might be causing the delays in his recovery.
“My best guess is maybe the week leading up to when I got hurt, I dove for a ball or something and landed on it wrong, and we just didn’t know it at the time,” Muncy said. “We thought that maybe it was hurt before that day even happened.”
That led Muncy to begin making routine trips to a chiropractor, who made several attempts to get Muncy’s displaced rib back in the right position.
“It just wasn’t ever getting set properly,” Muncy said. “Each time I tried to come back, I felt like I was locked and couldn’t move properly.”
But then another trip to the chiropractor in late July resulted in a long-awaited breakthrough, with Muncy immediately feeling relief in the area that had bothered him for so long. When asked how his chiropractor did it, Muncy laughed.
“I’d re-show you, but I can’t actually physically get my body in that position,” he said. “It kind of felt like they almost broke my rib, but they didn’t. But it almost felt like that’s what happened.”
Max Muncy celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Mariners on Tuesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The adjustment, coupled with a pain-relieving injection the following day, allowed Muncy to finally turn a corner. This time there were no setbacks or aggravations. He quickly progressed from swings in the cage, to live at-bats, to a weeklong rehab assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City. Then his monster week against a talented Mariners pitching staff.
“It felt like I was never even hurt,” Muncy said. “That’s why this whole process has been pretty fast once we got that going.”
The challenge will be carrying it on over the final five weeks of the season, with Muncy resuming his role as the Dodgers’ everyday third baseman while batting seventh in a suddenly deep batting order.
During his time on the IL, Muncy said he tried to maintain certain “cues” in his swing mechanics, mimicking his hand placement and foot position while at home watching the Dodgers. But his swing isn’t exactly the same as it was early in the season, when the ninth-year veteran flashed early improvements following disappointing 2022 and 2023 seasons.
“When I come back, it’s just second-nature to be thinking about that stuff,” Muncy said. “But at the same time you have to get your swing back. So it’s a little bit of both.”
If this week was any indication, he’s close to finding that balance. He homered Monday night on a hanging changeup over the plate, then went deep again Tuesday on a 95-mph fastball well above the strike zone.
In Roberts’ eyes, however, Muncy’s biggest contribution might have been a bases-loaded, three-run double Wednesday — on a first-pitch slider up in the zone — that put the Dodgers’ 8-4 win out of reach.
As the manager noted, the knock allowed the team to stay away from key relievers like Michael Kopech in the later innings.
“That,” Roberts said, “has an exponential effect on our ballclub.”
Of course, the Dodgers would have preferred to get such contributions from Muncy all season. His extended absence contributed to a revolving door of replacements at third base, and the team’s seasonlong struggles to balance the lineup.
Getting him back, however, already is serving as a nice consolation.
“It was always in the back of my head … that, ‘Oh, what if this happens again?’” Muncy said. “But we’re definitely in the clear on that now. It’s a blessing to be back out here.”
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino released a statement on Monday addressing his interactions with President Donald Trump amid USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun’s suspended one-game ban.
Trump told reporters he asked Infantino if FIFA would review the play. Infantino said in his release that “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent” and “operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.”
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
FIFA President Gianni Infantino answers questions during a 2026 soccer World Cup news conference Thursday, June 16, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,” he said. “During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump as he receives the FIFA Peace Prize during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw. (Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Balogun was given a red card after a VAR review to look at a play in which Balogun stepped on the ankle of a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender. He would have been suspended for the team’s match against Belgium but FIFA decided to suspend the one-game ban.
Trump addressed the controversy in the Oval Office.
“All I did was, I asked for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” the president said. “And again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different.
“I think it’s a terrible … if they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best on the team, to play, I think it would have had a big stain. I relayed it. I didn’t tell him what to do. I don’t believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision and they made the right decision because, No. 1, it wasn’t a foul and you want to see a game with your best players.”
Trump said the feeling would be the same if Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Harry Kane would have been given a red card in a similar way.
He also took issue with the call itself.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico City on June 10, 2026, a day before the opening FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP)
“If you would have taken him out, I think it would have really stained this incredible championship,” Trump continued. “We gotta have our best players and Belgium, Belgium’s got a great team by the way. We have our best players and they have to have their best. If we win or we lose, it’s fair. Otherwise, let’s say we lost to them, then we lost the game. It would be a terrible thing. I think they made a really brilliant decision.
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“I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine. The referee’s decision to red card, I didn’t know what the hell a red card was and when I found out I said, ‘You gotta be kidding.’ … I said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of power, that’s terrible.’ And then I looked at his past and it wasn’t so great.”
Belgium’s appeal was dismissed later Monday.
Rui Hachimura became the latest Lakers player to move on, agreeing to a two-year, $28-million deal with the Clippers on Monday, people familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times.
Hachimura played at a high level for the Lakers in the playoffs, averaging 17.5 points per game in 10 postseason games, the third-highest average on the team.
He was a lights-out shooter, making 54.9 percent of his field goals and a sizzling 56.9 percent of his three-pointers, which ranked him fifth in three-point shooting during the NBA playoffs.
According to people familiar with the team but not authorized to speak publicly, some members of the Clippers coaching staff liked how Hachimura played and thought he would be a good pickup because of his shooting and athleticism.
The Lakers acquired Hachimura, 28, from the Washington Wizards in Jan. 2023. He spent three-plus seasons with the Lakers and was a favorite of his teammates.
His ability to knock down three-pointers from the corner opened up things for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of whom could rely on Hachimura to be ready to catch and shot even when he didn’t get many touches.
Over 68 games last season with the Lakers, 41 as a starter, Hachimura averaged 11.5 points and shot 51.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from three-point range.
He started all 10 playoff games for the Lakers, scoring a playoff-high 25 points against the Thunder in 43 minutes, going nine-for-15 from the field, four-for-eight from three-point range.
Sports
England stuns Mexico 3-2 in instant World Cup classic, hands team first World Cup loss at Estadio Azteca
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One of the tournament’s instant classics unfolded Sunday at the historic Estadio Azteca, where 87,500 screaming fans created a deafening atmosphere.
England weathered the storm, silencing the sea of green with a ruthless finishing display to escape with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane combined to crush El Tri’s World Cup dreams. El Tri is a popular nickname for the Mexican men’s national team.
WORLD CUP ROUND OF 32 SOCCER PREVIEW AS ENGLAND, BELGIUM AND USA ALL SEEK REGULATION WINS ON A PACKED DAY
England’s Harry Kane buries a penalty kick to score his second goal against Mexico. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
In a stunning two-minute span in the first half, Bellingham struck twice, leaving Mexico’s defense completely shell-shocked.
But before halftime, Julian Quinones gave El Tri a lifeline. He buried a clutch goal, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
The second half was as electric as the first.
USA WORLD CUP STAR CALLS LACK OF APPEAL PROCESS FOR TEAMMATE’S RED CARD ‘BOGUS’
In the 53rd minute, England went down to 10 men after Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card. Suddenly, the momentum appeared to swing in Mexico’s favor.
England’s Jude Bellingham clears the danger as goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates the crucial defensive stop. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
Instead of capitalizing on the numerical advantage, however, Mexico gifted England a golden opportunity.
Goalkeeper Raul Rangel recklessly brought down Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area, conceding a spot kick. Captain Harry Kane calmly stepped up and buried the penalty, restoring England’s two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Still, Mexico refused to fold.
In the 69th minute, the referee pointed to the spot once again, awarding Mexico a penalty after another frantic sequence inside England’s box.
Raul Jimenez confidently converted, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and setting up an edgy finish.
England’s Jude Bellingham (left) reacts after Mexico’s Julian Quinones scores their side’s first goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at Mexico City Stadium, Mexico. Picture date: Sunday July 5, 2026. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
From there, England dug in, despite being down to 10 men. England absorbed wave after wave of Mexican pressure before hanging on for a gritty 3-2 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals against Norway.
England booked its place in the quarterfinals and handed Mexico its first-ever World Cup defeat at the Estadio.
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Traveling England supporters celebrated by belting out “Wonderwall” one more time.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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