Freddie Freeman returned to Dodger Stadium to re-join the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday after missing roughly a week. Freeman originally left the Dodgers July 26 to be with his family while one of his sons, Maximus, was dealing with an illness.
The 34-year-old was originally scheduled to be in the lineup and went through his pregame workouts, but decided it would be best to be with his family instead.
The following day, the Dodgers placed Freeman on the family emergency list. On Saturday, Aug. 3, the Dodgers transferred Freeman to the restricted list due to the time limits of the family emergency list.
Max, 3, ended up spending eight days in the hospital while battling a severe case of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
However, there has been some positive developments in Max’s recovery, which led to Freeman feeling comfortable enough to join the club again, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
Freddie Freeman said his son, Max, has started physical therapy and is on his way to recovery. Added he felt comfortable enough to return because f the good progress Max has made over the last few days.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) August 5, 2024
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.”
After undergoing treatment, Max was able to return home on Sunday. Freeman went on to explain the next steps for his son, and most importantly, that Max is expected to fully recover, via Alden González of ESPN:
Freddie Freeman spoke for half an hour and detailed everything they went through over this last week or so. Most importantly, things are progressing well and Max is expected to make a full recovery. wouldn’t be here if that weren’t the case. He cried today when he saw the shirts.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 5, 2024
When Freeman first decided to leave the club, the Dodgers were supportive of him, and while he was away, they did not put any pressure on him to return. Freeman also noted how that helped his family during the rough time.
While baseball was not a focus for Freeman at all in the past week, he did some drills and hitting to stay active during his time away.
Freddie Freeman returns to Dodgers
Freeman left the Dodgers in the midst of another strong season, batting .288/.395/.493 with 16 home runs, 63 runs scored, 67 RBI and a 149 wRC+.
It may take him some time to get his timing and rhythm down again, but regardless, the Dodgers are happy to have their superstar back in the mix.
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