Freddie Freeman was back where the Dodgers wanted him on Saturday: in the lineup, at first base, and feeling a whole lot better.
After sitting out two straight games with a right knee injury, Freeman returned for the afternoon matchup against the Miami Marlins on his birthday and described the difference as “night and day.” The issue has been identified as patellar tendonitis, and the short break clearly helped.
“I was having trouble moving [on defense]. I didn’t have a front side anymore [in my swing],” Freeman said of the way the injury had initially impacted him. “It just got to the point where it wasn’t giving me the best opportunity to play like I want to.”
The Dodgers had already been dealing with a major blow after Shohei Ohtani was placed on the 15-day injured list, so Freeman’s absence naturally raised some alarms. But manager Dave Roberts said there was never real concern that Freeman would need an IL stint of his own, and that held true when the veteran first baseman returned.
Roberts had previously said he believed the knee problem was affecting Freeman at the plate, and Freeman agreed that it was also limiting him on defense. The injury, the source said, came from cumulative wear and tear rather than one specific play.
The encouraging part for Los Angeles is that the knee issue is not considered as serious as Ohtani’s and does not appear to threaten Freeman’s long-term availability right now.
That matters because the Dodgers are in a position to think beyond the next game. With a postseason spot and the division crown all but secured, they can afford to be careful with Freeman and make sure he’s ready for October.
Roberts has already indicated that the club will monitor Freeman’s workload, along with other veterans, as the regular season winds down. The Dodgers still need to clinch their playoff berth, the National League West and possibly the No. 2 seed, and finishing with a top-two record in the NL has taken on added importance because of the roster’s average age and the injuries that have surfaced.
Freeman finished 0-for-4 in the Dodgers’ loss to Miami, a defeat that snapped their season-best eight-game winning streak. He had also been out of the lineup on Sept. 4.
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Dodgers Just Raised The Stakes For Two Fast-Rising Outfield Prospects
The Dodgers are using the stretch run to get a longer look at some of their fastest-rising young outfielders. Josue De Paula was brought up to fill in for injured Shohei Ohtani, and now Charles Davalan and Eduardo Quintero have also moved up, leaving advanced Class-A Great Lakes for Double-A Tulsa. It is the kind of late-season shuffle that gives the organization a better read on where its top prospects stand without waiting for next spring.
For a club that always seems to be balancing October aspirations with player development, the timing matters. Tulsa is a tougher test, and it gives both Davalan and Quintero a chance to face a higher level of pitching before the playoffs arrive, while the Dodgers continue sorting out which young bats are closest to helping at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
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The complication is what comes next. Skubal is expected to hit free agency this winter, and he projects to be one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball history, with contract estimates landing somewhere in the $400 million to $500 million range. The Dodgers and Blue Jays are viewed as early favorites, which only raises the stakes for a club that now has to weigh how far it is willing to go to keep a pitcher who has already looked like a fit. [Read more 🡒]
Miguel Rojas Injury Scare Leaves Dodgers Facing An Infield Question
Miguel Rojas has been managing the kind of shoulder issue that can quietly shape a season long before it ever shows up on the injury report. During the Dodgers game against the Marlins, he had to leave after aggravating a labrum tear, a reminder that one of the clubs steadiest infield pieces has been playing through discomfort for most of his career while trying to stay available.
Rojas plans to get a cortisone injection in hopes of keeping him on the field, but the Dodgers may still have to think ahead if the soreness lingers. They do have depth options to cover his spot, which softens the immediate blow, though any extended absence would still leave an infield question for a team trying to manage the stretch run as cleanly as possible. [Read more 🡒]