The Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the best start ever for a team following up a World Series championship, and they’re doing it largely without their championship hero.
After earning the 2024 World Series Most Valuable Player Award, first baseman Freddie Freeman has only been able to play in three of the Dodgers’ first seven games as he experiences setbacks in rib and ankle injuries.
His most recent setback was the result of an unfortunate off-field incident — he slipped in the shower and hurt his surgically-repaired right ankle. Now, Freeman has detailed that accident to reporters and offered his thoughts on when he might return to the Dodgers’ lineup.
“Halfway through my morning coffee, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just shower to get ready for the day,’” Freeman recalled, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register. “And next thing you know, I’m down in the bathtub… Freak accident, you can’t really make it up, crazy.”
Freeman added that, while it caused a “flare” in his ankle pain, the incident could have been much worse.
“It’s a glass door, so it could have been much worse,” he added. “I could have hit my head or something like that. So I’m very thankful that it was just a little mishap with my ankle.”
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Freeman has made some strong progress since then and is eyeing a return to the Dodgers’ batting order, but likely won’t be back for the Dodgers’ final game in the series against the Atlanta Braves. And he cast some doubt on his ability to appear in Friday’s road game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Really hard to get in these regular-season games right now,” Freeman said of his struggles to return. “I know them, they’ll probably push me to play Friday, just because of the flying across the country. It’s going to be cold in Philly. There’s a lot of variables that we’re gonna have to deal with on the East Coast as well.”
It seems like Freeman is eyeing a return at some point in the Dodgers’ series against the Phillies but for now is unable to commit to a clear timetable. Thankfully, though, his freak accident wasn’t worse.
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