Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Won’t Be 100 Percent Once Spring Training Begins, Expects to Play Opening Day in Japan
With spring training set to open in less than two weeks, there’s a good chance that Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman will be limited as he continues to recover from his right ankle surgery.
Freeman, who underwent a procedure on his right ankle to remove debridement and loose bodies last December, recently began swinging a bat for the first time post-surgery. But the eight-time All-Star has yet to be cleared to resume running.
As such, the three-time Silver Slugger’s availability for Cactus League games will likely be delayed. However, he should be able to participate in batting practice and is on track to begin a running program upon arriving at the club’s spring training facility in Arizona.
“I think by the time I get to Spring Training… I should be probably full-bore hitting-wise, like taking batting practice with the guys, being able to do live BPs,” Freeman told reporters Saturday at DodgerFest, including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. “But I don’t think I will be in the games at the beginning.”
Pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training on Feb. 11, with the first full-squad workout coming a few days later on Feb. 15. The Dodgers’ exhibition slate will begin with a contest against the Chicago Cubs on Feb. 20.
Los Angeles will endure a second straight abbreviated spring training due to the franchise beginning the regular season overseas once again, this time in Tokyo, Japan, for a two-game set versus Chicago from March 18-19.
While Freeman will miss a portion of the club’s Cactus League schedule, his rehab from right ankle surgery isn’t expected to impact his availability for Opening Day during the Tokyo Series next month.
The 35-year-old suffered the injury while fielding a ground ball at first base on Sep. 25, causing him to miss the final three games of the regular season. Though he returned for the postseason, he was far from 100 percent and played through considerable pain.
Freeman was held out of the Dodgers’ lineup for two games during their NLCS victory over the New York Mets, providing the injured star additional rest before an historic World Series performance. Weeks after popping champagne, it was determined he would require surgery after undergoing imaging on his ankle in mid-November.
“When they went in, they didn’t know if they were going to have to repair some of the ligaments, because I had torn some of my ligaments, as well, in my ankle,” Freeman said of his injury. “It was quite a nasty injury I had. Luckily, in those four weeks, the ligaments and tendons had healed enough where they didn’t have to fix my tendons and ligaments.”
The Dodgers will undoubtedly take as many precautions as necessary to ensure their future Hall-of-Fame first baseman will be ready to help anchor one of baseball’s most star-studded lineups come Opening Day.
After shaking off a slow start to last season, Freeman finished with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs and a respectable .282/.378/.476 slash line across 147 games during his third campaign in Los Angeles. He also posted a 137 wRC+ (100 league average), down from his eye-popping 162 score in 2023.
If, by some chance, Freeman isn’t cleared to play in Tokyo on Opening Day, teammate Max Muncy would likely slide across the diamond from third to first base – where he filled in during the left-handed-hitting slugger’s brief absence in ‘24.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
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