Freddie Freeman again proved to be nothing short of an MLB ironman last year as he played through a significant right ankle sprain and torn rib cartilage during the postseason.
Freeman sprained his right ankle during the final week of the regular season and suffered the rib injury on the eve of the National League Division Series. Freeman’s rib injury was not revealed until after the Dodgers won the World Series.
That now is in the past but Freeman is still feeling the effects of having ankle surgery during the offseason. He was in the Dodgers’ lineup on Thursday for the first time this spring, but only as the designated hitter.
“It’s good enough. I wish it felt like my left one,” Freeman said of his ankle. “It was the first day I played with tape. I’ve been doing all my rehab stuff without tape because I didn’t want to be relying on the tape. It felt a little weird running with the tape on, but I felt pretty good.
“I’m shooting to DH again Saturday and hopefully play (first base) Sunday.”
Freeman went 1-for-3 with a single in his first at-bat against the Colorado Rockies. He made a concerted effort to be aggressive and was generally pleased with his swing.
Getting into a Cactus League game was one checkpoint to reach, and now Freeman looks to continue expanding on his work while testing the strength of his right ankle.
“There will be a lot of jumping,” he said of a planned workout Friday. “It’s more of the high throw and landing back down, that’s kind of our last little hurdle. So I will do a lot of jumping stuff tomorrow and plyos, as well on Saturday.
“Even though I’m doing DH, I’m still going to do a lot of jumping stuff. I would like to play Sunday in the field with the day off the next day to see how I respond to playing the field and not having to do much that next day. I think that’s big.”
More days off for Freddie Freeman?
Freeman makes it a point to remain in the lineup every game until the day after the Dodgers clinch the NL West. Having undergone ankle surgery might require an adjustment in that mentality.
“I do think I’m going to be getting a lot of treatment and taping for at least until the All-Star break,” Freeman said. “It’s just hard, because you’re on your feet all day log. Lower-body injuries are hard to rehab, especially the ankle. I do believe it’s going to be a lot longer treatment-wise than I would like.
“I like to socialize in the training room, not actually use the training room. But they’ve been so good in helping me get on the field. It’s 12 weeks post-op today, so I feel like that was a pretty good number. Getting back on the field and feeling as good as I do, I think that’s pretty big. …
“As you guys know, I will fight tooth and nail to be in the lineup every day. But I do understand keeping me on the field as much as I possibly can. Maybe a day game after a night game the first couple weeks, I do get it. ”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
