It might be the World Series matchup everyone wanted to see. But three days before the Dodgers and New York Yankees were to open their best-of-seven set, Freddie Freeman had no intentions of watching from the side.
Despite missing two of the Dodgers’ final three games in the National League Championship Series, and going just one for 15 in the last three games he has played on a badly sprained right ankle, the first baseman said Tuesday he expects to be “a 100% go” for Game 1 on Friday.
“I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind,” Freeman said, “that I’ll be in the lineup for Game 1.”
While this postseason has been a grind for Freeman, who suffered the sprain Sept. 26, severe enough to warrant a four-to-six-week absence in the regular season, the 35-year-old said the week of rest he’s getting has been “valuable.” Not only is he receiving extra treatment, but he also has been able to avoid any running, something that aggravates his injury most.
“I can still hit, I can do all that kind of stuff,” Freeman said. “And I’m now at three straight days of not running and just only treating it. So every day is going to be better.”
While Freeman had four hits in four games in the division series, then opened the NLCS by reaching base three times with an RBI in Game 1, the rest of the championship series became a slog. Despite serving as a source of inspiration, Freeman said the sprain began to take a toll on his performance.
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In Game 2, Freeman went hitless in five at-bats. He also determined that the supportive spatting tape he had been wearing around his ankle no longer was doing much good, ditching the method after noticing it put extra pressure on the injury.
In Game 3, Freeman had a fifth-inning single but was removed in the eighth while laboring at the plate. And even after a day off in Game 4, Freeman went 0 for 5 in his return the following night, calling it “one of the first times I felt my ankle had compromised my swing.”
“A week or so ago, I could get through four or five innings before I was having trouble walking,” Freeman added. “And obviously in Game 5, it started happening pretty much right after my first at-bat.”
Thus, when Freeman and manager Dave Roberts discussed his status for Game 6, both agreed it would be better to keep the eight-time All-Star out of the lineup.
“Believe me, when I walk through those front doors of our clubhouse, everything gets checked at the door, and all I want to do is win,” Freeman said. “And I’m obviously compromised with my ankle, so if I’m not in the lineup that day, that means the best options are with our guys. And I have the most confidence [in them].”
With a laugh, Freeman then noted that the team is not only 3-0 in the games he has missed this postseason, but has totaled 28 runs in the process.
“Obviously, guys are swinging the bats great,” Freeman said. “So yeah, it was tough. But I think it was just better off for the situation with my ankle … than trying to gut through another game.”
Freeman will enter Game 1 coming off six days of rest — a break that has eased his discomfort, given him valuable time to work on his swing, and set him up to watch from the side no longer.
Pitching plans
The Dodgers will start Jack Flaherty in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, Roberts announced. Walker Buehler likely will start either Game 3 or 4, with the other expected to be a bullpen game.
By starting Flaherty in Game 1, the team could turn back to the trade-deadline acquisition on normal four days’ rest for Game 5. By going with Yamamoto in Game 2, the rookie Japanese right-hander will be able to maintain his five-days-off routine before possibly pitching again in Game 6.
“It’s just giving both those guys the best opportunity to pitch and put them in the best spots possible, as far as days of rest,” Roberts said.
In the bullpen, Roberts also said injured relievers Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol are “trending in the right direction” but will be last-minute decisions for the roster. Vesia suffered a side injury in Game 5 of the NLDS, keeping him off the NLCS roster. Graterol hasn’t pitched since Sept. 24 because of a shoulder injury that has plagued him all season.
“I would say Vesia is more likely,” Roberts said, noting that Vesia will face hitters in team workouts this week. “But we’re going to push [those decisions] as far as we can. It’ll be a final kind of Friday morning situation where we got to make a decision on those two guys.”
Other injuries
Roberts said infielder Gavin Lux should be a “full go” for the World Series after battling a hip flexor injury in the NLCS. Shortstop Miguel Rojas, on the other hand, remains uncertain after missing the NLCS because of an adductor strain.
“I really feel that it was the right decision not having him on the CS [roster], given his health,” Roberts said. “He’s made some strides. I know he’s going to do everything he can to be on the World Series roster, but we still got to be certain that he can run, he can defend the way he can defend. So I’m hopeful, but not certain right now.”
