Long time Atlanta Braves first baseman has a reputation for suiting up ready to play every single day. It's why he ranks third among active players in games played. Freeman loves to play everyday no matter the situation, and with his career numbers it's part of the reason he's a future Hall of Fame candidate.
However, we've seen before instances when Freeman played through injury and hurt his team with his performance. Unfortunately, for Los Angeles Dodgers fans he's doing it while their season hangs in the balance.
Freddie Freemans playing NLDS on a bad ankle is costing the Dodgers
The same team that eliminated the Atlanta Braves from the postseason has the mighty L.A. Dodgers one game away from elimination as well. The San Diego Padres have stifled the Dodgers best hitters thus far, Freeman included.
While Freeman does have three hits this series in 11 at-bats, none have gone for extra-bases. His ankle sprain is bothering him so much that Freeman called it the worst injury he's ever tried to play through.
Freddie Freeman hits a single and comes out of the game limping off the field pic.twitter.com/bQ6t9Nz7LD
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 9, 2024
That's a pretty bold statement considering what happened while he was with Atlanta in 2019. For those of you that don't remember, Freeman was playing at an MVP like level with the Braves from April-August in 2019.
Once Freeman began to slow down in September it was revealed that he had bone spurs in his elbow. Freeman described the injury as "feeling like I'm swinging a wet newspaper." Despite that injury that zapped Freeman's power late in 2019, the Braves first baseman would play in every game of the NLDS against the Cardinals.
The results weren't pretty. Freeman went 4-20 and the Braves were bounced in embarrassing fashion in the first round. Freeman would undergo surgery to remove the bone spurs the following offseason.
Now, he's repeating the same mistake for the Dodgers. As you can see, Freeman is severely limping around the diamond during this NLDS. And now the Dodgers are one game away from another October early exit.
The Dodgers turn a huge double play, but Freddie Freeman, nursing a bad ankle, lands awkwardly. pic.twitter.com/IbMhXBKb8z
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 9, 2024
The entire series shouldn't be pinned on Freeman however. Other stars like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and Will Smith have failed to show up in this series as well. And as Braves fans know, the 2024 San Diego Padres are a juggernaut right now.
However, should the Dodgers fail to advance past the first round for the third consecutive season you will see a lot of blame dished out to numerous people on the roster. Freddie Freeman playing the most important games of the year on a bad ankle would certainly be a reason media and fans point at for the Dodgers latest October failure.