Dodgers activate Max Muncy, set to welcome back Julio Urias

DENVER -- The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder Max Muncy from the 10-day injured list before Tuesday night's game at the Colorado Rockies, and are set to welcome back Julio Urias this weekend.

Both players had been dealing with hamstring injuries.

Urias hadn't pitched since May 17 as he recovers from a left hamstring strain. He was being lined up for a return during a June 9-11 series at Philadelphia before experiencing a setback.

He threw four innings in a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, and manager Dave Roberts told media Tuesday that the 2022 National League ERA champion is penciled in to start Saturday against the Royals.

The left-hander is 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 10 starts for the Dodgers this season. His 2.16 ERA last season was the best mark in the NL and second in all of baseball behind Justin Verlander, who had a 1.75 mark with the Houston Astros.

Muncy, meanwhile, was in the lineup and played third base in the opener of the three-game series against the Rockies. He went 0 for 3.

Muncy last played on June 11 at Philadelphia and missed 11 games with a left hamstring strain. He said he felt ready to return to the lineup as early as Sunday, but the team wanted to be cautious with his injury.

"Sunday he went through a whole day, felt good, came out of it well and said he could have played that day," Roberts said. "Knowing we had the off day (Monday), to know we could start him (Tuesday), have him down tomorrow, and have him back in there Thursday, we felt good about that."

Muncy acknowledged there was some hesitation about playing his first game in the higher altitude, but it wasn't a barrier to his return.

"There might have been a little bit. This place is notorious for your body not necessarily feeling great," Muncy said. "I think we're at a point where we felt pretty good about it. So, we're going to go today and hopefully everything comes out alright."

Muncy said he was getting impatient not being in the lineup for the last 15 days.

"Extremely hard," he said. "I think the term a lot of guys used was I was losing my mind and in a dark spot. We're out of that, thankfully, so hopefully we can stay out of it."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.