Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not think first baseman Freddie Freeman would be ready for Opening Day.
“There was a point … I don’t know if it was January where he wasn’t moving very well, wasn’t recovering, still was in a lot of pain where Opening Day didn’t even seem feasible,” Roberts said Thursday, via The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett.
“But he’s put in a lot of work. It’s come along. He’s certainly not 100 percent yet. But I think now we’re all confident that when we get to Tokyo he’ll be at first base.”
Roberts was not alone in his thinking. Freeman underwent ankle surgery in the offseason, but played on a bad ankle throughout the entire month of October. It was quite a surprise when Freeman revealed he was on track to compete in the season opener in Tokyo.
“I don’t think I will be in the games at the beginning. It looks like I’m going to start a running progression right when I get to spring training,” Freeman said at DodgerFest. “As of right now, I am on track to be able to play in Tokyo.”
Freeman made his Cactus League debut on Thursday as the Dodgers’ designated hitter, but he is supposed to make his first start of the spring at first base this weekend.
As for the season, Freeman hopes to be a full participant, but he did convey his right ankle does not feel 100 percent.
“I wish it felt like the left one, but it doesn’t,” Freeman said, describing the ankle as “good enough.”
“The goal is 162 (games),” he added. “Hopefully it’s 161 because I always take the game off after we win the division. … I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m ready for 162.”
Dodgers Reporter Makes Bold Accusation After Freddie Freeman Injury Update
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman wants to play with no restrictions.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, understandably, wants to take the future Hall of Famer’s recovery slowly.
Freeman played through a significant ankle injury last season, though you wouldn’t have known it watching his World Series highlights. The eight-time All-Star earned World Series MVP after hitting .300 with four home runs, 12 RBI, and one game-ending grand slam.
The good news: Freeman underwent ankle surgery in December and has already made his spring training debut. However, Freeman (and, likely, Dodgers fans) wants more, and Roberts appears reluctant to grant that wish.
Speaking on Thursday’s DodgersHeads live stream, Dodgers reporter Jeff Spiegel noted the back-and-forth between player and manager.
“It’s kind of funny,” Spiegel said.
“I think part of it is that Dave’s in a tough spot,” Spiegel added. “I think Dave is trying to protect some information, and he’s not trying to set unrealistic expectations of [Freeman].”
Barring an unexpected setback, Freeman should start at first base against the Chicago Cubs on March 18. Shohei Ohtani’s presence means it’s unlikely Freeman sees time as a designated hitter in either Tokyo Series game.
Spiegel and co-host Blake Williams suggested Freeman may have more off days than in years past. The 35-year-old Freeman played 147 games last year, his fewest in an entire season since 2017; Freeman played all 60 games during the 2020 pandemic season.
For now, Dodgers fans spending the spring in Arizona may not see Freeman too often in Cactus League games. We get the sense they’ll be totally fine with that if it eventually means a third World Series title in six years.
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