Add The California Post on Google MIAMI –– Freddie Freeman will be back out of the Dodgers’ lineup on Monday, manager Dave Roberts announced, after the veteran first baseman continued to look physically limited during back-to-back losses to the Miami Marlins this weekend.
Freeman has been battling a right knee injury over the last couple weeks, with a problem he described as “patellar tendonitis.” It got bad enough that he had to miss games on Wednesday and Friday, after falling into a 1-for-18 slump at the plate with a clearly hampered swing.
Evidently, those days off only did so much good. While Freeman insisted his knee was feeling better, he still suffered back-to-back 0-for-4 performances on Saturday and Sunday and committed a costly miscue defensively in the latter, contributing to a 6-4 walk-off loss.
“Just talking to him today, he said he felt good,” Roberts said, before countering: “Obviously, the swings don’t indicate that, don’t kind of validate that … The last week, it’s pretty obvious that he’s not himself in the box.”
For now, the Dodgers are still not considering an injured list stint for the newly-turned 37-year-old slugger.
As Freeman told the California Post on Saturday, he is hopeful continued treatment and medication will help the problem improve over the final couple weeks of the regular season.
Still, his dubious health status is only adding to the Dodgers’ long list of late-season headaches.
And on Sunday, the team got a reminder of the risk it runs by trotting him out at less than 100%.
With the Dodgers protecting a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, Freeman was called into action on an Xavier Edwards grounder that forced him to range to his right. While Freeman fielded the ball cleanly, he had to then stop, turn and make an underhand flip back to first base –– ultimately misfiring on a lob that was too high and off-target for pitcher Tanner Scott to receive while still covering the bag.
The resulting infield single helped put into motion the Marlins’ four-run walk-off rally.
It was a moment Roberts highlighted specifically in his postgame review of the team’s collapse.
“There’s a PFP that Freddie made an errant throw,” Roberts said, before later adding: “He’s obviously not moving as well as he’s used to [on defense].”
Thus, the Dodgers will try another day of rest for Freeman again on Monday. They will hope he feels better by the time he returns to action (or is at least scheduled to) on Tuesday.
“He’s doing anything and everything he can to prepare,” Roberts noted.
But so far, it hasn’t assuaged the growing concerns over Freeman’s health –– giving the team yet another critical question mark with the start of the playoffs just three weeks away.
