Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman sits out again after ‘freak accident’ in shower
LOS ANGELES — As far as Freddie Freeman is concerned, aggravating his surgically repaired right ankle and being out of the starting lineup for consecutive games so far was the best-case scenario.
While describing his shower mishap from Sunday, the Dodgers’ first baseman painted a picture that was as scary as it was amusing. That he could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday made it easier to laugh.
“Halfway through my (Sunday) morning coffee, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just shower to get ready for the day,’” the World Series MVP said Tuesday. “And next thing you know, I’m down in the bathtub. It’s a great mental picture, if you guys want to think about it, big guy falling all over the place. … Freak accident, you can’t really make it up, crazy.
“But it was just one of those things. You slip in bathtub showers all the time. And when you’re healthy, you just catch yourself. And when you’re not, when you’ve got a little surgically repaired ankle, mostly I think it just flared everything kind of back up. I was a little sore. Sore on the inside still. But I’m feeling much better.”
X-rays on the ankle came back negative.
Considering that Freeman couldn’t even drive himself to Dodger Stadium for a 3-hour physical therapy session on Sunday, his progress has been considerable.
“I literally stepped in with my right foot and it slipped. And I went down,” he said. “It’s a glass door, so it could have been so much worse. 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.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would not say that Freeman was unavailable off the bench on Tuesday night. But he had two left-handed pinch-hit options if he needed them in Max Muncy and Michael Conforto. Neither one started against Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale.
“He did some lateral stuff, some defensive stuff, that I saw,” Roberts said of Freeman. “Went into the cage down below, hit, came out of it well. Did some light jogging down below, came out of it well. I’m pretty hopeful that he’ll be in there (Wednesday). But still, day-to-day.”
Freeman, who sprained his right ankle on a play at first base in late September and struggled in the first two rounds of the postseason last fall, has not been in the starting lineup in four of the Dodgers’ seven games so far. He missed the two games in Japan with sore ribs (also a leftover issue from October) and even played in the series against the Detroit Tigers with an illness, although not as bad as the one that sidelined shortstop Mookie Betts.
“Really hard to get in these regular-season games right now,” Freeman said. “I know them, they’ll probably push me to play Friday, just because of the flying across the country (Thursday). It’s gonna be cold in Philly. There’s a lot of variables that we’re gonna have to deal with on the East Coast as well.”
The Dodgers will play their first domestic road series at Philadelphia from Friday to Sunday before playing three games in Washington next week.
MORE PROGRESS
There are still no plans for two-way star Shohei Ohtani to face batters on his road back to the mound, but there is some progression in his throwing schedule.
Ohtani, who has not pitched since 2003 following a second Tommy John surgery, at least has his throwing schedule planned out for the remainder of this week.
“He’s going to throw a light bullpen tomorrow (Wednesday) and then he’ll throw a heavier bullpen on Saturday,” Roberts said. “I think we’ll go from there. There’s still many bullpens to come, but we don’t have it targeted yet, when he’s going to face hitters. We’re not there yet.”
Roberts plans for Ohtani to be in the lineup as the designated hitter without a day off at least through the upcoming road trip.
TAYLOR-MADE
Chris Taylor received his first start of the season, batting ninth while playing in left field. His only other game action this season came in left field for the final three innings of Monday’s game against the Braves.
The assignment comes against Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. Taylor entered 0 for 4 with two strikeouts lifetime against Sale.
With Muncy also out of the starting lineup, Miguel Rojas received his first start of the season at third base. Kiké Hernandez was at first base in place of Freeman.
UP NEXT
Braves (RHP Bryce Elder 0-0, 0.00) at Dodgers (LHP Blake Snell, 1-0, 3.60 ERA), Wednesday, 5:38 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM