As he strode across the Dodger Stadium field to talk to reporters Thursday night, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman wore three distinctive things.
A walking shoe. A National League West championship T-shirt. And, most importantly, after his ankle injury during that night’s division win, a relieved and grateful smile.
“It looks like a grapefruit,” Freeman said of the swelling in his sprained, but not broken, right ankle. “But they are quite optimistic that I can play in the play-offs on Saturday. I count on that.”
A day later, the Dodgers also seemed confident in that possibility.
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When the team left the champagne-soaked clubhouse on Thursday and headed to the airport for a late-night flight to Denver, where they opened their series against the Colorado Rockies with an 11-4 win on Friday, Freeman was left behind in Southern California.
Although x-rays on his ankle came back negative after the match, he and the team decided it would not be wise to subject him to two flights for a series in which he likely would not have played anyway.
Instead, Freeman will remain in the Southland this weekend and receive treatment for his injury in hopes of being ready for the start of the National League Division Series next Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s obviously really swollen, but they said once they get the fluid out I should be able to go on Saturday,” said Freeman, who used crutches during the Dodgers’ clubhouse celebration but later in the game only walked with the boot. night.
“Luckily we have some free time now to heal this thing,” he added. “I am optimistic.”
Manager Dave Roberts took that optimism a step further on Friday, saying he “can’t see any world” where Freeman isn’t in the lineup for the start of the postseason.
“He’s just such a warrior,” Roberts said. “And he will do whatever he can to post.”
Freeman’s sprained ankle was the latest hardship in what has been a tough season for the 35-year-old slugger.
On the field, Freeman has had his least productive season in almost a decade. While his batting average of .282 and on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .854 are still well above league average, they represent his worst numbers since 2015. His 89 RBIs will be his second-lowest total in a full season marking since 2017. And in recent weeks, as he continues to battle a broken right middle finger he suffered in August, the left-handed hitter has been visibly frustrated with his swing, hitting just .241 with five extra base hits in his past 15 games. .
However, none of that compares to the adversity Freeman faced off the field.
In late July, his three-year-old son Max was temporarily paralyzed by a terrifying case of Guillain-Barré syndrome, forcing Freeman to step away from the team for eight games. After spending the past two months in physical therapy, Max only began walking on his own again last week – a gratifying milestone for the Freeman family, but also a reflection of the difficult journey they have been on during the second half of the Dodgers’ season . .
“Every day gets better and better for Max and that’s all I can really ask for,” Freeman said. “But yeah, over the last few months we’ve been trying.”
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That’s why Freeman was still optimistic Thursday night, even though he will miss the final games of the regular season and have to spend his run-up to the playoff rehabbing his ankle.
“It’s all put into perspective now,” he said. “Yes, a tough few months. But when you look up and see that [we are] NL West champion and Max is running now, everything is going well.”
The same can apparently be said for his sprained ankle as well.
No sowing preference
Even though they’ve already reached the NL West and have a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Dodgers technically have something to play for this week. They start their series one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the majors – and home field advantage throughout the postseason.
However, Roberts said the club isn’t too concerned about whether they are the first or second seed in the NL, and that the bigger focus this week is on keeping players healthy and fresh as they cross the finish line of the regular season exceed season.
“I think it’s more about the idea of letting things go the way they go and trying not to affect the wins and losses too much, as far as hoping for a certain seed,” Roberts said ahead of a Friday night match in which he rested regulars Will Smith and Max Muncy and opted for bullpen play on the mound.
“I think the most important thing for us is to take care of our relievers, get them ready for the division series and get them out of here healthy,” Roberts said. “Position players, as you can see, I gave a few guys a rest. I will do that tomorrow too. Yet we always play to win. So I don’t really think we really care [we’re seeded] one or two.”
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Triple Crown Chase?
One player who won’t get any rest this week: Shohei Ohtani, who Roberts believed could still chase San Diego Padres’ infielder Luis Arraez for the NL batting title — the last remaining box Ohtani, the NL leader in home runs (54) and RBIs (130), need to check to secure a triple crown.
That scenario admittedly seemed unlikely, as Arraez entered the weekend with a seven-point lead over Ohtani for the batting title.
But after Friday it became a little more plausible. Ohtani went four for five with his 54th home run of the season to raise his average to .309, while Arraez went three for five to raise his average to .314, narrowing the gap somewhat.
“If those Diamondbacks can hold Arraez hitless” in the Padres series in Arizona this weekend, Roberts argued before the game, “that might be fair.”
But if Ohtani, who is now 24 for his last 34 in his last eight games, keeps up this pace for two more games, even that might not be necessary.
“It’s right there,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ win. “I just checked and unfortunately Arraez has a few hits… But Shohei, man, he put on a show tonight.”
NLDS rotation is probably set
Roberts confirmed Friday that the Dodgers’ starting rotation for the NLDS will include Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Landon Knack — though not necessarily in that order.
Yamamoto and Knack will pitch this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, though Roberts noted Knack might follow up with an opener (perhaps as a preview of how he could be used in the postseason).
Roberts also said Tony Gonsolin, who made three minor league rehabs this month after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, likely won’t be on the Dodgers’ postseason roster barring “something that’s really unforeseen.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
