The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres behind a five-run seventh inning to capture the 2024 National League West title, but it didn’t come without Freddie Freeman suffering an injury.
Freeman sustained a sprained right ankle while trying to beat out an infield single. After attempting to avoid a tag and collision at first base, Freeman rolled his ankle after crossing the bag.
He went down in pain before limping off the field under his own power, and was replaced by Kiké Hernández at first base for the start of the next inning.
The good news for the Dodgers is they feel Freeman was able to avoid a significant injury and expect him back in the lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Luckily for the Dodgers, Freeman told reporters it was only a sprained (and significantly swollen) ankle, leaving him optimistic he’ll be ready for the National League Division Series opener on Oct. 5.
Freeman, who was using crutches and a walking boot during the Dodgers’ NL West celebration, was in good spirits after the game regarding his injury, but won’t travel with the team while they head to Coors Field to finish out the season against the Colorado Rockies:
“It hurt for a while [but] I’m OK right now,” Freeman said with a relieved smile on the field afterward. “We’ve already done a lot of treatment on it. I’m trying to get the swelling off of it. I’m not going to travel this weekend [to the team’s series in Colorado]. I’m going to stay back to treat this thing and hopefully be ready to go by Saturday.”
This is Freeman’s second injury since the All-Star break as he previously missed time because of a hairline fracture in his right middle finger and received three days off to let the swelling go down.
Freeman has already shown the ability to bounce back quickly on offense after missing a stretch of games this year, which bodes well for him moving forward.
If all things go well, he should be able to take some live at-bats during the Dodgers’ workouts before they begin postseason play on Oct. 5.
How will Dodgers replace Freddie Freeman?
Without Freeman for the next three days, Hernández is likely to get the majority of the starts at first base. Max Muncy, who has not played first base since 2022, when he logged just five innings there, seemingly will stick at third base.
This seems to be the best-case scenario for a Dodgers club that could not afford anymore injuries as they already have a long list of players out for October baseball.
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