The Los Angeles Dodgers have fallen into a rut over the past week, and the stretch has coincided with Freddie Freeman going on the family emergency list due to his son, Maximus, being hospitalized.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts initially suggested Freeman would return for their matchup with the San Diego Padres, but that didn’t come to be. Roberts then indicated it was unlikely the eight-time All-Star would be in the Dodgers lineup for any of the games against the Oakland Athletics.
This weekend is the final stretch of the Dodgers’ eight-game road trip. They return to Dodger Stadium on Monday for the start of a series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
According to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times, Roberts said Freeman may return to the Dodgers roster for the pivotal series with the Phillies:
Dave Roberts said Freddie Freeman could rejoin the Dodgers during their series against the Phillies this week
Any exact return date remains TBD, but Roberts made it sound like it’s trending that way
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) August 3, 2024
The Dodgers have given Freeman plenty of space to be with his family and will remain patient until he’s able to return.
“He’s still kind of in it with Max, and I don’t see him coming back this series,” Roberts said earlier in the week. “To be quite honest, I haven’t even broached that subject of him coming back. I just don’t feel it’s right.”
The Dodgers have relied on Cavan Biggio at first base during Freeman’s time away.
Freddie Freeman’s son illness
Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, provided an update on Max’s status last week and revealed he is battling Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition.
“Last Friday, Max rapidly declined and went into full body paralysis,” the Freemans shared in a social media post.
The statement added there “is going to be a journey to recover” but that the family has “faith that he will be completely healed.”
The post also noted tests determined Maximus is battling a “severe” case of Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the family was “been blown away by his improvements in the last 48 hours.”
Progress Max has made includes being excavated from a breathing tube and getting taken off a ventilator on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the syndrome is “a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. It can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis.”
In another update from Chelsea, she wrote Max no longer is on a feeding tube and was “improving so quickly” over recent days. The Freemans also announced Maximus was released from the hospital.
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