The first baseman sustained an ankle injury that forced him to miss the last three games of the regular season, but the eight-time All-Star fought his way back into the Dodgers’ postseason lineup.
Freeman’s injury ultimately required surgery in December, sidelining him during the beginning of Dodgers spring training.
Freeman has yet to appear in a spring training game in 2025. However, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts recently gave a positive update on Freeman’s progress.
“The running, he’s passed all those check marks,” Roberts told reporters. “The hitting, the running, fielding the grounders we feel real good about.”
Freeman practiced live batting against a minor-league pitcher in Monday’s workout. Thursday’s game against the Colorado Rockies could potentially be Freeman’s first appearance since the surgery.
In addition to Freeman, two-time NL All-Star catcher Will Smith could make his return from injury during Thursday or Friday’s game. Smith’s injury primarily limits his running but he has still caught bullpens for Roki Sasaki and participated in live batting practice.
Freeman, on the other hand, still has more work to do before the organization will feel fully confident to place him back in the lineup.
“Jumping and coming down on the ankle is something we just don’t feel 100 percent yet so he’s going to test that out,” Roberts said.
Despite his limitations during spring training, Freeman expects to be healthy for the Dodgers’ Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19 and Opening Day on March 27.
Freeman’s injury did not seem to hinder his performance in the Dodgers’ World Series run. The 35-year-old’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees set the tone for the rest of the series.
The three-time NL Silver Slugger hit a home run in four of the five World Series games, contributing to his World-Series-record-tying 12 RBIs. Freeman also played first base every inning even though he was dealing with an ankle injury.
Freeman’s efforts earned him the first World Series Most Valuable Player award of his career.
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