The first baseman missed the games in Japan due to rib discomfort
Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, was unable to play in his team’s games against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo due to discomfort in his left rib.
When announcing the important absence a few days ago, team manager Dave Roberts said it was the same rib area that bothered Freeman during last year’s postseason. He indicated that he was not too worried as it seemed that the situation was not serious.
Fortunately, his absence did not affect the performance of the Los Angeles team, who ended up beating the Cubs in both games.
The player was originally in the lineup, batting third and playing first base. The eight-time All-Star hit .282 with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs last season.
To make up for his absence, the Dodgers shuffled their lineup, moving Kike Hernandez to first base and putting Michael Conforto in left field.
When will Freddie Freeman be able to play?
Essentialy Sports points out that Dave Roberts gave an update on the status of the first baseman, which caused relief among the team’s fans.“He felt much better than yesterday; hopefully he’ll be ready for the Freeway Series,” Roberts said during a press conference at the end of the Tokyo Series
The sports site adds that Freeman is expected to be back for the Dodgers’ three-game series against the Angels. And in case the encouraging outlook is not met, Essentialy Sports notes that the Dodgers are ready for whatever comes with or without Freeman, remembering that they normally have Freeman at 1B, Tommy Edman at 2B and Max Muncy at third, and in case Freeman could not play soon, David Bote would take his place
Mookie Betts’ Illness Leave Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Seeking Answers
Los Angeles was without Mookie Betts due to a bizarre, wicked illness that caused him to lose nearly 15 pounds, and Freddie Freeman missed both games with rib discomfort.
Many fans are confused about the root of Betts’ illness. Betts felt the sickness coming on before traveling to Tokyo, Japan, and it only seemed to ramp up from there. Even manager Dave Roberts is puzzled by the whole situation.
“There’s still debate (about what caused it),” Roberts said (h/t The Athletic). “I just don’t think what you eat would last a week.”
“The thing is when you lose a lot of weight when you’re dehydrated, that’s what opens a person up to soft-tissue injuries. We’re very mindful of that. So to take the next week … to build him back up, his strength, do some baseball activities to get ready for the home opener.”
This left Roberts in a tricky spot because many were saying, well, if he had known the severity of the illness was this bad, why did he even go on the trip in the first place?
Hindsight is always 20/20, and it’s hard to foresee things like this happening, but the fact that he was sent home almost immediately and wasn’t present to witness any of the game action shows that it was a big deal.
However, as previously noted, the Dodgers made it work without Betts. Miguel Rojas took over at short, and while he didn’t shine with the bat, Rojas is a very reliable defender and made all the necessary plays.
The Dodgers offense also got significant contributions from Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman. Both homered in the second game of the two-game set, and Edman slotted into Betts’s usual two-hole in the lineup.
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