Dodgers News: Max Muncy, Brusdar Graterol Expected to Return From Paternity List on Friday

We seem to be very close to a fully loaded Dodgers team again. On Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided a return timeline for Will Smith and Miguel Rojas, and made it sound like they could both be back by the beginning of next week. He also had a positive update on J.D. Martinez, who’s missed the Dodgers’ last two games with a back issue.

However, injuries weren’t the only thing keeping players out of the Dodgers lineup. The Dodgers had four players go on paternity leave within a week, including Max Muncy and Brusdar Graterol heading to the paternity list on the same day.

The good news is, 1) we got some adorable baby pictures and 2) everyone is close to being back. Roberts said that Muncy and Graterol are both expected to join the Dodgers on Friday, as they return to Los Angeles and welcome the struggling St. Louis Cardinals into town.

Muncy went on paternity leave as the hottest hitter in baseball, hitting 10 home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 13 games. He won the National League Player of the Week Award, and had an incredible 1.815 OPS during that time. The Dodgers will be very happy to welcome him back, and slot him right back into the cleanup spot.

As for Graterol, he was starting to get hot, too, before heading on paternity leave. He’s thrown 6.2 straight scoreless innings, and has lowered his ERA from 6.75 to 2.53.

He also got a save in his final outing before heading on paternity leave, a six-out save against the Cubs on Sunday.

The Dodgers will be happy to get both those guys back, as both the offense and bullpen has struggled in their absences.

Hopefully, once everyone returns, the Dodgers can have somewhat of a sense of normalcy and consistency, and have a much better May because of it.

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