LOS ANGELES — Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy injured his left knee on a play at third base and had to be helped off the field in the sixth inning against the White Sox on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The extent of the injury hasn’t yet been revealed, with Muncy set for an MRI exam on Thursday to determine the severity.

“A lot of the tests they did right now, we feel optimistic. Our hope is it’s a sprain,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “Obviously for the next few days I’m sure he’ll be down. We’ll just wait and see what the MRI shows.”

Muncy ran to cover third base with Michael A. Taylor trying to steal. Will Smith’s throw arrived in time for Muncy to tage Taylor for the out, but Taylor slid into Muncy’s leg just as it planted, and Muncy immediately dropped to the ground grabbing his knee.

After a few minutes laying on the ground, Muncy was able to get up with some help, and was helped back to the dugout by head athletic trainer Thomas Albert.

“We haven’t shown you a replay because the knee pretty much goes the opposite way,” Orel Hershiser said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “It’s a tough injury to watch.”

Taylor was also injured on the play, and left the game with a left trap contusion.

The sixth inning was a wild swing of emotions as Clayton Kershaw was laboring in his sixth inning of work, trailing in the game but chasing a milestone. Three pitches after Muncy’s injury, Kershaw got Vinny Capra looking for his 3,000th career strikeout.

“We’re all holding our breath that Munce is going to be okay. He’s obviously a huge part of our team, and especially the last two months he’s been unbelievable,” Kershaw said. “I hope Muncy is okay.”

Losing Muncy is a big blow to the offense, as he has been one of the team’s best hitters for the past two months. On the season, Muncy is hitting .250/.375/.457 with a 134 wRC+, 13 home runs, and 55 RBI.

Muncy was a finalist in fan voting to start at third base for the National League All-Star team, but lost out to Manny Machado of the Padres.

Kiké Hernández replaced Muncy at third base for the remainder of Wednesday’s game. Miguel Rojas (eight starts) and Hernández (six) are the only other two Dodgers to play any defensive innings at the hot corner this season.

Should Muncy need to be placed on the injured list, the Dodgers don’t have any other infielders on the 40-man roster who aren’t already active. 40-man position players in Triple-A are outfielders James Outman, Esteury, Ruíz, and Steward Berroa, plus catcher Hunter Feduccia.