The Los Angeles Dodgers put Freddie Freeman on the paternity list before Sunday’s game and recalled Ryan Ward from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Ward made his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies, starting at first base and batting seventh. With roughly 20 family members and friends in attendance at Coors Field, Ward went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the Dodgers’ loss.
While it’s not yet clear what the future holds for Ward, the Dodgers are going to remain without Freeman for at least another game.
“We expect him back at some point in San Francisco,” manager Dave Roberts said.
MLB roster rules require a player who is on paternity leave to be away from the team for at least one day. The maximum amount of time permitted on the paternity list is three days, which makes Wednesday the latest point Freeman can rejoin the Dodgers.
Their road trip and series against the San Francisco Giants concludes with an afternoon game at Oracle Park on Thursday.
Freddie Freeman’s children
Freddie and Chelsea Freeman share three sons, Fredrick Charles II (Charlie), Brandon John and Maximus Turner. Their fourth child, a daughter, is being born via surrogate.
Fertility challenges prompted the Freemans to first go down the surrogacy path several years ago. Chelsea became pregnant nearly simultaneously, resulting in Brandon being born in December 2020, and Maximus arriving in February 2021. The Freemans affectionately refer to them as “twins with a twist.”
The couple announced in late February they were set to welcome a new baby. They then posted a gender reveal video three weeks later, sharing news of expecting their first daughter.
Getting ready to welcome a new child was the reason behind Freeman withdrawing from playing for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Team Canada manage Ernie Whitt suggested during the Winter Meetings that an injury issue was behind Freeman’s decision.
But Freeman ruled that out while only sharing some additional clarity during his appearance at DodgerFest.
“There’s no health. I feel great. Body feels great,” Freeman said. “Canada knows it’s a personal reason. You guys will probably hear about it in a month or two, but they were very supportive when I told them why I wasn’t going to be able to go out there and play.
“Be in Puerto Rico and be that far from my family, I need to be close to California, and that’s all I’ll say. It’s personal, and I’m sure you guys will hear about it in a couple months.”
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