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Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has been battling an ankle injury during the 2024 playoffs, and Dave Roberts' hand has been forced after his star re-aggravated the injury during Game 3 on Tuesday night.
After Freeman was initially in the Dodgers' Game 4 lineup, he was scratched from the card about two hours before game time, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
“Freddie Freeman has been scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup,” Gonzalez reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Chris Taylor is in center field, Max Muncy moves to first base, Kiké Hernández is in at third base.”
Freeman appeared to re-injure the ankle when he leaped in the air to catch a high throw and landed on the base. He remained in the game at first, but was replaced on the bases by Chris Taylor in the eighth inning after hitting a single.
The Dodgers have their backs against the wall on Wednesday night after suffering two consecutive losses to their hated division rivals, and they will need all hands on deck both on the mound and at the plate to extend the series to a Game 5. The Dodgers are throwing a bullpen game in Game 4, according to Roberts, starting with Ryan Brasier.
Freeman figures to be an option off the bench for Roberts if the Dodgers are in need of a bat at any point, and the first baseman showed that he can still swing it despite his injury with his late base hit in Game 3. Freeman's numbers are down from his normal elite levels, but he still put together a good season, batting .282 with 22 home runs and 89 RBI's in 137 games. However, any pitcher would fear Freeman coming out of the dugout as a pinch hitter in a key situation.
The Dodgers must find a heroic moment from someone if they want to even the series against the Padres, who have been red hot this October. Maybe Freeman is that guy off the bench in Game 4.
