One could practically hear a collective groan go up throughout Dodgers’ fandom during LA’s series finale against the Padres last week, when Freddie Freeman stumbled across first base and down the right field line trying to evade a tag, before tumbling onto the outfield grass. He was holding his ankle as he was attended to by trainers, and replay showed that it looked like it was just a few degrees away from snapping.
He attended LA’s division clinch celebration on crutches and with a boot on his right foot. This is definitely not what the Dodgers wanted for one of their Big Three, just a few days away from the start of the postseason.
After the game, the team said Freeman’s X-rays came back negative, but he wouldn’t go on the road with them for their last series of the regular season in Colorado. However, they were hopeful he would be back for the NLDS.
Over the last few months of the season, any time a Dodger got hurt felt like the end of the world. After all, LA led baseball in time spent on the IL this year, and fans have had to wade through countless updates about progress and regression basically since Opening Day. It was nice that the Dodgers were optimistic, but it didn’t inspire much confidence.
Freeman didn’t really help with his description of his ankle after the play: “It’s like a grapefruit.”
Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman used a dubious descriptor when talking about his ankle injury
He was obviously talking about the swelling, and that can be managed, but if the swelling really was that intense, it doesn’t bode well for a return by Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. Dave Roberts has remained optimistic that both he and Miguel Rojas, who is dealing with an adductor issue, will be in the lineup, but the Dodgers still have a contingency plan to put Max Muncy at first base if Freeman is unavailable.
While it’s not usually a good thing to keep a postseason team sitting for too long, a week from the Dodgers’ last regular season game to the NLDS is a nice cushion of time to let Freeman recover.
His bat was a little cold by the time he got hurt, and his postseason performance last season against the Diamondbacks left a lot to be desired, but it’s a new October, and having Freeman in the lineup — especially if the Dodgers have to face the Padres — will inarguably be better than not.
