Dodgers’ Max Muncy avoids concussion, still out Friday vs. Angels

The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their first walk-off loss of the 2026 season, falling 3-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night, as Ketel Marte hit a ninth-inning solo home run off Tanner Scott to complete the comeback at Chase Field.

The game’s turning point came in the fifth inning when Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy was involved in a high-impact collision at first base with Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas. Muncy had hit a ground ball up the line and beat Vargas to the bag for an infield single, but both players arrived simultaneously and crashed into each other at full speed. The impact was severe enough that Muncy’s helmet and glasses came off, and both players remained down for several minutes before exiting the game.

Muncy left with what the team described as shortness of breath and was evaluated for a possible concussion. He later passed concussion testing and has been diagnosed with a sore nose, but he will not play Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Muncy entered the game batting .254 with 14 home runs, 22 RBIs, and a .860 OPS. He also posted a 140 wRC+ and ranked in the 95th percentile in Outs Above Average with five.

After Muncy exited, Santiago Espinal replaced him at third base. Espinal, who had previously been designated for assignment and later re-signed after clearing waivers, scored later in the inning on Ryan Ward’s double. Dalton Rushing also contributed offensively as Los Angeles built a 2-0 lead in the fifth.

On the mound, Justin Wrobleski pitched six scoreless innings on 84 pitches, keeping Arizona off the board until late. However, the Diamondbacks rallied in the eighth on Corbin Carroll’s leadoff home run and Geraldo Perdomo’s RBI single before Marte’s walk-off blast in the ninth.

The loss split the four-game series, but Muncy’s status remains a cloud hanging over a Dodgers team already managing multiple position-player injuries.

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