The Los Angeles Dodgers made a statement by cutting backup catcher Austin Barnes and utility man Chris Taylor — two of their longest-tenured players — in the span of a week. The departure of such respected veterans signaled the Dodgers were focused on winning and there was simply no room for sentimentality.
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However, Max Muncy and Michael Conforto, who have struggled for most of the season, won’t be going anywhere. The Dodgers are likely going to stand by their starting third baseman and left fielder for the rest of the year, according to general manager Brandon Gomes.
“I think both of those guys are in a good position to continue to get back to what their historic performance is,” Gomes told MLB Network’s Jim Bowden on Sirius XM. “Munce has actually been pretty good for the last month or so. Michael is grinding hard in the cage and has hit a ton of balls hard for outs. I’m sure he’s happy to see the Diamondbacks go. It feels like he just could not, they could not let him get a hit at any point. They were getting to everything.
“I think both of them are trending well. Our expectation is those guys are going to be a staple of the lineup for the rest of this season.”
Muncy is hitting .210 with four home runs and 24 runs batted in. Muncy’s wRC+ of 96 is below league average, and while he has shown improvement in recent weeks, he is far from the power hitter fans know him to be at this point in the season.
Conforto’s numbers are significantly worse. The $17 million offseason addition is hitting .175 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Conforto’s wRC+ of 81 is well below league average, and would be by far the lowest of his career.
Though it seems like the outfielder is nowhere near turning a corner, Gomes insists Conforto will return to his best form soon.
“I think Michael’s in a fine place,” Gomes told Bowden. “He’s going to keep getting those opportunities, and we fully expect him to return to, from this point forward, what he’s done versus especially right-handed pitching historically. That’s not something we’re looking at right now.”
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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