Inside The Dodgers

Dodger Freddie Freeman on Son's Health Scare: 'No One Should Have to Go Through This'

Matt Levine

In this story:

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman finally broke his silence regarding a scary medical issue with his 3-year-old son, Maximus. Maximus was diagnosed with a case of a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome after going into full-body paralysis.

"No one should have to go through with this, especially a 3-year-old," Freeman told reporters, including ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "I don’t know how many times Chelsea and I said we wish we could switch.”

Freeman also said that his son was starting physical therapy but that he was doing well. The Dodgers were wearing "Max Strong" shirts to support Freeman as he rejoined the team.

It's a rare disease that unfortunately was caught by Freeman's son and it caused the star first baseman to leave the team's recent road trip early. Freeman was placed on the family emergency list on July 26.

Freeman's wife Chelsea posted an optimistic update on Maximus over the weekend, posting on social media.

“After 8 long days in the Pediatric ICU we are officially HOME!” Chelsea Freeman wrote Sunday. “Max still has a long road ahead of him to regain his strength and relearn how to walk. But we are so thankful to have our family back together. Thank you God for this miracle. Also, thank you to our incredible team of doctors and angel nurses for taking such good care of our boy. And to our village for helping so much with Charlie and Brandon. #MaxStrong#GBS#gbsawareness#gbssurvivor“

Thankfully, Maximus was able to go home. The entire incident was a scary one and fans have been trying to keep up with the status of Freeman's son. There has been a wave of support from the fanbase during this unfortunate time for the star player.

The return of Freeman comes as the Dodgers get ready for a tough three-game series with the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies at home. Philadelphia swept the Dodgers in three straight games when the two sides played in early July.

Los Angeles has been missing the bat of Freeman so his return is a welcome sight. The All-Star has hit .288 with 16 home runs and 67 runs batted in this season.

The Dodgers are only 4.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the NL West so a strong showing against the Phillies could go a long way. Los Angeles has an off-day on Thursday before they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to town for a three-game series this weekend.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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