Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Undergoes Ankle Surgery, Expected to be Ready For Spring Training
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman underwent surgery Thursday on his right ankle to remove loose bodies and debridement, the club announced.
The team also revealed Freeman is expected to be available to participate in baseball activities once spring training arrives. Dr. Kenneth Jung performed his procedure in Los Angeles.
Following his surgery, the 35-year-old posted a picture of himself resting with a boot on his ankle via Instagram with the caption, “Worth it for the ring,” followed by the hashtag champs.
Freeman injured his right ankle just days before the 2024 regular season concluded, putting his postseason availability into question. But he pulled through, thanks to the Dodgers’ training staff, albeit while playing at less than 100 percent.
The eight-time All-Star also suffered broken costal cartilage in his sixth rib around the same time, an injury that went unreported until after the playoffs concluded. Even so, he miraculously managed to push past those ailments to help the Dodgers secure their eighth World Series title, enjoying an all-time postseason performance.
With Shohei Ohtani occupying the DH spot, Freeman still had to play first base and was, understandably, limited defensively. But his injuries didn’t stop him from leading the charge offensively, particularly against the New York Yankees during the World Series.
In Game 1, Freeman delivered a walk-off grand slam – making World Series history – in extra innings. He followed that up with three additional round-trippers in as many games, boosting his RBI total to 12 – another World Series first – and was ultimately named the most valuable player of the series.
The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in five games, as Freeman hoisted the second World Series trophy of his career, his first since the Atlanta Braves’ championship victory in 2021.
Freeman, who spent the first 12 seasons of his big-league career in Atlanta, started slow out of the gate during his third in Los Angeles – at least by his elite standards. But it wasn’t long before he found his footing at the plate, with his tough start having little impact on his overall production.
The left-handed-hitting first baseman slugged 22 home runs, posting 89 RBIs and a .282/.378/.476 slash line across 147 games – his fewest since 2017, excluding ‘20. He was also 37 percent better than a league average hitter per wRC+, accounting for 4.0 fWAR.
Freeman has already completed three of the six years on the $162-million contract he signed with the Dodgers in 2022. Judging by this past post-season, though, he appears to have plenty left in the tank.
If by some chance Freeman isn’t ready by Opening Day, infielder Max Muncy could move across the diamond to first base, which he’s done numerous times in previous seasons, including this past one.
Los Angeles figures to be a strong candidate to defend its championship title in 2025, especially after fortifying the starting rotation with free-agent starter Blake Snell, who inked a lucrative five-year, $182-million contract. He joins an already stacked pitching staff that includes the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani.
The Dodgers also extended Tommy Edman on a five-year, $74-million contract earlier this off-season, and many throughout the industry expect them to re-sign Teoscar Hernández – who enjoyed a stellar performance on a one-year contract last season.
Given how active the front office has been thus far, they probably have a few other moves up their sleeve as well.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.