The last thing Dodgers fans wanted to see.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team built around its stars. Shohei Ohtani is the best player on the planet. Mookie Betts isn’t far behind. Freddie Freeman completes the trio of superstars that opposing pitchers have nightmares about having to face.
This Dodgers team being built around its stars is why Freeman’s ankle injury was such a devastating blow. He’s the one who hits behind Ohtani and Betts and is often responsible for driving one or both of them in. The Dodgers can still score enough without him, but it obviously hurts to lose one of the best hitters in the game for any period.
Freeman’s ankle injury might’ve knocked him out for a month or longer in the regular season, but this is October. The Dodgers’ season is on the line, and they need him. Thankfully, he was in their lineup for their postseason opener seemingly against all odds, batting third at first base. Despite the bad ankle, Freeman did what he always does – rake. He had two hits in five at-bats and even stole a base in the Dodgers’ win.
But on Sunday, Freeman was pulled from NLDS Game 2 before the top of the sixth inning due to right ankle discomfort.
Freddie Freeman pulled from NLDS Game 2 due to lingering ankle issues
Freeman was replaced by Max Muncy, who moved over from third base. Taking over at the hot corner was Kiké Hernandez. The downgrade from Freeman, a superstar, to Hernandez, a role player, cannot be overstated, especially in a game that the Dodgers were trailing 4-1 at the time.
What happens with Freeman from now on remains to be seen. Fortunately, the Dodgers do have a day off on Monday before the series shifts to San Diego on Tuesday, but how serious his ankle injury is will be something worth monitoring.
Freeman is known for playing just about every day. The fact that he returned so quickly from a serious ankle injury shows just that. The 147 games he played in during the 2024 regular season were the fewest of any full season (excluding 2020) since the 2017 campaign. He missed a total of three games in his first two seasons as a Dodger before the 2024 campaign.
For Freeman to sit out, especially in the postseason, the ankle has to be really bothering him. That can’t bode well for the rest of this series, but Monday’s off-day could prove to come in handy. The Dodgers can win without Freeman thanks to the other stars that they have, but the task becomes a lot tougher, especially against an extremely formidable Padres team.
