Max Muncy and Brusdar Graterol to join wave of Dodgers on paternity leave
The Dodgers’ paternity parade will continue this week.
Max Muncy and Brusdar Graterol will both be placed on the paternity list before Tuesday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly. The moves will come after the Dodgers placed Mookie Betts and Evan Phillips on the paternity list over the last week.
Players can spend up to three days on the paternity list, meaning there’s a chance the Dodgers will be without both players for the duration of the three-game series against the Pirates, who have won seven straight games and are off to a surprising 16-7 start.
Home runs powered the Dodgers to a win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, but the team doesn’t seem concerned about its offense being too one dimensional.
Michael Busch, one of the organization’s top prospects, will be called up from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Muncy on the roster, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Muncy, 32, has been on a tear during the past two weeks after a dreadful start to the season. His 11 home runs lead the majors. The third baseman hit four of them in the Dodgers’ four-game series victory over the Cubs.
Busch, meanwhile, has drawn comparisons to Muncy since the Dodgers drafted him in the first round of the 2019 draft. Like Muncy, Busch is a bat-first infielder who hasn’t found a permanent defensive position.
The left-handed slugger is batting .337 with two home runs and a .967 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 21 games for triple-A Oklahoma City.
Busch entered the season ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 54 overall prospect. He’s started games at first base, second base and third base after never having played third base as a professional before this season. Busch, 25, has started nine of his last 11 games at third base for Oklahoma City.
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