Dodgers Give Freddie Freeman Rare Day Off; Can He Avoid The Injured List?

Freeman fractured his finger over a week ago.

Tim Vizer-USA TODAY Sports

Freddie Freeman was held out of the Dodgers' lineup Tuesday, a rare day off for their durable first baseman. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Dodger Stadium that he's looking to give Freeman the chance to rest his fractured finger.

After Monday's off-day, Freeman might be out of the lineup a couple days.

“We don’t want this thing to linger,” Roberts told reporters, including Eric Stephen of TrueBlue LA. “If we can get it to calm down, we’ll be in a better spot.”

No plans for an IL stint just yet for Freddie Freeman with the fracture in his finger, but he might get a couple of days out of the lineup

“We don’t want this thing to linger,” Dave Roberts said. “If we can get it to calm down, we’ll be in a better spot.”

— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) August 27, 2024

With Freeman out of the lineup during the Dodgers' series opener against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, outfielder Teoscar Hernández has moved up to the third spot in the lineup after Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.

Kiké Hernández started at first base for just the second time all season, and taking the eighth spot in the lineup.

Tonight’s #Dodgers lineup vs. Orioles: pic.twitter.com/7kMK9Y3wC6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 27, 2024

There are currently no plans for the Dodgers to put Freeman on the injured list. Freeman originally sustained the fracture Aug. 17 during a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, jamming his middle finger going for a ground ball. He did not play the following day, but returned to the lineup that Monday, opting to play through the fracture and pain.

Freeman previously missed eight games when he took time away from the team to be with his family while his son, Max, battled a rare case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Freeman returned to the Dodgers on Aug. 5, after Max's condition had improved.

The 34-year-old is in his third season with the Dodgers after signing a six-year, $162 million deal with the team in March 2022. This year, Freeman is slashing .284/.382/.475 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs. He is third on the Dodgers this season in hits, home runs, and RBIs, second in runs, and first in doubles.

The Dodgers recently got their full lineup intact following the returns of outfielder Mookie Betts and third baseman Max Muncy from the injured list. Both players had lengthy recovery times from a fractured hand and oblique, respectively.

The Dodgers have the potential to play the final month of the regular season with their full complement of position players, as they look to expand a three-game lead in the National League West going into the postseason.

Freeman is currently not expected to go on the injured list himself, but the Dodgers appear intent on giving him rest down the stretch regardless.