The Dodgers announced today that first baseman Freddie Freeman underwent surgery on his right ankle “consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies.” They added that Freeman is “expected to be able to participate in baseball activities during Spring Training” though it’s unclear how impacted his offseason will be.
Freeman’s ankle injury was a key storyline over the past few months. He suffered a sprain in late September in one of the final regular season games of the 2024 campaign, which made Freeman’s status a frequent talking point throughout the postseason.
He continued to hang onto a roster spot with the club as they advanced from round to round, but was clearly not playing 100%. With Shohei Ohtani in the designated hitter slot, Freeman even had to play the field on many occasions while obviously playing through pain. During the postseason, he revealed that he was dealing with a bone bruise in addition to the sprain and would have missed four to six weeks if the issue had cropped up during the regular season. As if that wasn’t enough, Jeff Passan of ESPN later reported that Freeman suffered broken costal cartilage in his sixth rib just as the postseason was beginning, which would normally require a monthslong absence.
Despite those issues, Freeman went to have a postseason for the ages. He wasn’t great in the NLDS nor the NLCS but went complete supernova in the World Series. He hit a walkoff grand slam, the first in World Series history, to lift the Dodgers in game one. He then went on to hit a home run in the next three games as well. He set a World Series record with 12 runs batted in and slashed .300/.364/1.000, helping the Dodgers win the title and earning himself World Series MVP honors in the process.
Unsurprisingly, the attention has now shifted to getting him healthy for 2025 and it has been determined that surgery was necessary. It seems he will have enough time to be healthy for next year, though it wouldn’t be disastrous for the Dodgers if he hit some snags and ended up needing to miss a bit of time at the start of the 2025 season. Third baseman Max Muncy is capable of playing first base, while multi-positional players like Miguel Rojas or Chris Taylor could cover the hot corner.
i hate the braves & dodgers
but freddie is 1st ballot HOFer
his gm 1 GS was f’ing epic!
Why did he wait for so long to have surgery??
He’s a Dodger he deferred surgery lol
This is the first deferment joke that was actually funny.
Yeah not gonna lie that one made me chuckle as well lol
It’s my understanding that his insurer, United Healthcare, unexpectedly reversed their decision, and decided to cover his surgery.
Very unfortunate comment. Hopefully you’ll grow up.
I think a lot of people only just now realize how bad UHC has been treating their customers. It’s a damn shame that it took an assassination of the CEO, but I think we can be horrified by both things at once.
Fazenda
I’m sure Mr. Thompson’s widow and his two children will appreciate your asinine attempt at tasteless humor. Shameful.
@dewey: Not just the comment that’s garbage. MLBTR should allow us to see who’s “liking” crap like that.
so much for a free country? what for, so you can shane them?
@KnicksFan: Don’t cry. I didn’t call for anyone to be banned for making that comment or for liking it. Just like to know who the idiots are so I can disregard anything they comment on in the future.
You mean telling people they are paying for health care, denying them care, then pocketing 23 billion of those dollars last year alone is less than moral?
Halos
not the point genius. you don’t gun someone down in the street.
Hopefully you’ll loosen up.
What you don’t understand or accept is much of private insurance is actually controlled by large employers and the carrier simply administers the benefits agreed to and paid for by the employer.
Jeff, agreed.
DEWEY –
You’re conflating the death of the United CEO with United Health’s horrific record of deferring and denying elders proper care. THAT is what Luis_azenda was referring to.
No, no, no. You misinterpreted Fazenda’s comment. It was focused on the revelation that United Health has treated seniors and the elderly very badly. (It was NOT¯ as far as I can see, about the vigilante killing of United’s CEO.
You missed FAZENDA’s point. It was not about the CEO killing.
Mute me please, mute me please, mute me please, because I thought that joke was f’ing hilarious.
A man dying isn’t funny, even if he was a slimy lowlife who made thousands of people suffer and some die by putting in place company rules that denied $23 billion in rightful claims so he could pocket a few million extra dollars. The way to solve that issue is not a bullet.
The joke on the other hand was funny.
@Luis Did you happen to hear why they at any point not covering the surgery? Seems kind of odd for a health care provider to deny a Minor procedure like that. Can’t say I’m surprised tho.
right. just a coincidence he made that remark today.
Dewey: Why would large employers spend money on health care when they could have it paid for by the govt? I’m sorry, but the only reason we DON’T have universal health care is that the insurance companies make millions off people’s suffering, and those companies pay their lobbyists well.
Your statement is inaccurate, to say the least.
As for the CEO, I’m not happy that he was killed, but I’m also not sad. The guy made millions off of people’s suffering. That’s evil, and I don’t feel sad when evil people die.
And I really don’t care if people joke about the demise of evil, either. Your anger is really misplaced; you should be angry about the harm the CEO caused, not his death.
No one is endorsing “gun[ning]” anyone “down in the street.” Joking about something is different from endorsing it..
I think it’s odd that you’re angry about people joking about the CEO’s death, and not angry about all the harm he caused. Your anger is misplaced. He profited off the suffering of others, and that is evil; we are under no obligation to feel sad when bad things happen to evil people.
No you don’t. But you can mock a company that lets people die if it will boost their profits.
Not everyone likes dark humor but calling out UHC for denying care is not endorsing murder.
Well starting January 20th all bets are off.
Buy ammunition now.
Why? You want to cancel them?
I wish I could get my just desserts I’m tired of the veggies i want just desserts.
I just want to say that having a 40 post argument about the CEO of a healthcare company being gunned down in a baseball trade forum is….
Pooh, Luis Severino just got overpaid
Time and place folks
Pete, you might be right but the timing made it totally inappropriate. Not being on Medicare, I can’t comment other than that we all have issues, some valid some not with insurers. I deal in the defense of personal injury suits and certain doctors and attorneys are being sued as part of a RICO conspiracy where immigrants and others seem to have staged accidents and had unnecessary surgeries.
This story doesn’t say when the surgery took place, but others say it happened today.
If you don’t want to talk baseball GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Because game 1.
Probably so he can enjoy the world series win.
Maybe because he was wanting it to heal naturally and finally decided that surgery was the best option, just as the article stated.
Minus the part where you besmirched the good name of the 2024 World Series Champion Dodgers. I agree with what you said.
save your hate for something that really matters.
ok sigmund freud
not far off the mark. Kudos for the Freud reference, don’t expect much here.
I thought loose bodies were what happened to old people….
That’s the other kind. To see the type Freddie has/had requires the use of technology
My 17 year old had a loose body removed from behind his knee. He’s a catcher and did it in a game.
Sure didn’t look old mopping up those Yanks in the world series
Eat too many donuts and you can have a loose body at any age.
As a senior citizen, I’m not sure what loose bodies means, all I can say is you’ll be old soon, will you be ok years from now with what you said?
Yep, perfectly okay with what I said. But, I think a few people missed what I meant…… BlueSkies got me though.
If I missed what you meant, please enlighten me.
I once knew a girl with a loose body. Ah, the good old days!
Even old people can sometimes manage to hit walk-off grandslams.
Loose bodies has nothing to do with age. It has to do with prior injuries. Yes, usually the older you get, the more likely for you to have a past injury to cause loose bodies. But it can happen to anyone that has ever broken a bone.at any age.
(The sound you are hearing is the joke going right over your head.)
So far over that “flaps down” had no impact!
I got the joke. I just didn’t find it funny and decided to go the serious route.
Come on don’t be such a tight a** and loosen up a bit
I joke around as much as anyone. I just didn’t find this particular joke funny.
Papi – a loose body is one thing but suggesting as loose a** is quite another thing altogether!
or prostitutes.
Legit shot at 3,000 hits that nobody ever mentions. HOFer no doubt regardless
3,000 hits is tricky. I honestly thought for a brief period that Nick Markakis had a shot at it.
If this happens for Freddie, it would most likely come in his age 38 season, which is the year beyond his current contract.
Did I miss him saying he’s retiring at the end of his contract or…
Excuse me. I love Freddie as much as the next guy but he is 733 hits shy of 3,000. He’d have to average 244+ hits per season to get to 3,000 by age 38. He’s averaged 181 hits per 162 games for his career. Ain’t happening before age 40
Check your math. He’d have to record 183 hits over his next four seasons. The last one would be his age 38 season, which also happens to be one season beyond his current contract.
BTW you are making all the other Freddie lovers jealous. So just cut that out, will ya?
lol.. ok math corrected. but he’s not likely to average 183 hits these next three seasons. I hope I am wrong.
Markakis DID have a shot at it. But he missed.
Nick was such an underrated player
It is tough to project that far into the future, but I believe the next 3 players that will join the 3000 hit club are Freeman, Jose Altuve, and Manny Machado. But all of them are more than 700 hits away (Machado is a little over 1000 away). It will take Freeman and Altuve 4 really good years or 5-6 decent years to get to that milestone. I think they both will get there around 2030 barring injury, but that is the key.
@Tom I’ve heard Freeman mentioned as a future HOF more and more frequently. I don’t think he’s being slighted in any way. He’s 1B and just crossed 60 WAR for his career. Having yet to hit any milestone #s crossing 60 is a decent step towards him being more often referred to as a future HOf.
He’s played 15 seasons whereas guys like Machado and Arenado have played 12 and 13. They all are right around 340 HRs and 2 of them play premium positions on the field. And they do so very well. Freeman’s case is going to be primarily offensive stats.
Freeman has an outside shot at 3000. He has 2257 and will be 38 when his contract is up after 2027. He would need 248 hits per season to get there over the next 3 seasons. He has averaged 188 the last 3 years and had 153 last season.
He would have to average 188 hits over the next 4 seasons, through his age 38 season, or 150 hits over the next 5 seasons, through his age 39 season.
Certainly not impossible. In the expansion era 8 guys have had that many hits in 5 seasons from 35-39 years old.
I seem to remember reading the same exact thing in another comment, except that the math was right.
Always an a-hole Blue. You fit in LA.
Sweet. Where do you fit in?
Oops, read 2257 instead of 2267.
If he was still with the Braves I’d be concerned
What a guy.
Imagine what he will do with 2 good ankles
If Luis Arraez knew how to throw the ball straight, Freddie would have had two good ankles and no need for surgery.
Regardless, things worked out for the Dodgers this year.
Freddie hit homers in 4 consecutive 2024 WS games playing on a torn up ankle and won the WS MVP. He’ll be fine.
And immediately hit another homer off Yankees pitching after leaving the recovery room.
Freeman and Carlos Rodón have the same contract if you’re wondering how bad of a GM Brian Cashman is
@freeman
You ever give any thought that maybe Freeman didn’t want to come to NY?? You see how torn up he was to leave Atlanta? Freeman didn’t sign until March 18. The Yanks signed Rizzo the day before, likely knowing that Boras/Freeman had made up their mind. Seriously, all GMsm make bad moves but I don’t ever want to hear about the Yanks being cheap. I’d of resources you more if you made a Harper vs Stanton rant. Signing Rodon has nothing to do with Freeman. Yanks needed pitching too. Signing Freeman doesn’t address the pitching needs. At least Rodon had a decent season. Too soon to call it a horrible deal.
KnicksFanCavsFan, they signed Rodón two years and are still looking for more frontline pitching. It was a mistake contract, but there’s nothing that can be done now.
@fred
Last I checked, there are 4 other rotation spots. Rodon pans out to be at least a top 50 pitcher among pitchers that pitched at least 150 IP last year. Wins don’t tell the whole story, but he did lead the Yanks with 175 IP, 195 k’s, and had an era/fip of 3.90/4.10. That’s a solid #2 or #3. Lesser pitchers just got signed for $18 to $20 mil. His $27 is far from the most money annually.
Freeman has 57M deferred — how about Rodon? They’re not the same contract by a long shot.
You would have been first in line to say how stupid he was for signing a first baseman that old
Amputate it
What nobody seems to notice about the Dodgers is that the lineup ain’t getting any younger. Freeman’s going into his age-35 season. Betts into his age-32 season. Ohtani age-30. Muncy age-34.
I just mentioned four very important parts of the Dodgers offense. They’re all sliding down the wrong side of thirty. I’m not predicting imminent doom and gloom, but with a lineup this old, you’re asking for all sorts of wear-and-tear medical issues.
The Dodgers overcame 2024’s litany of pitching injuries. If the lineup starts to hit the IL often enough, even such a ridiculously rich team might have some nasty surprises in 2025. Could the Dodgers slip to 90 wins, especially if Snell goes out with an injury, as he has so often done before? He’s entering his age-32 season, after all. Seems to be a theme for L.A.
Dodgers are more likely to repeat than slip under 90 wins. Do you realize how much has to go wrong for that to happen? They had no pitching by the end of the 2023 season and still got to 100 wins.
I think the Dodgers old folks home ought to be able to hold their own as they do every season.
They didn’t win a hundred games in 2024, even with Ohtani having an insane season. Let’s say Shohei starts slipping a little after all the wear and tear. Let’s say that Betts and Muncy keep getting hurt as they did in 2024. Let’s just say that Father Time remains unbeaten (sorry for the cliche).
This is an old team getting older. Snell doesn’t make them any younger, and I have him pencilled for significant IL time. I still expect the Dodgers to contend in 2025 because they have more money than several deities combined. But a slip to ninety wins wouldn’t amaze me.
That’s still a ridiculous statement. I don’t think you realize how easy it is to win 90 games, lol. The Tigers almost got to 90 wins and were awful for 3 months. Same with the Mets, who finished at 89 wins in a tough division. You have to remember 1/3 of the league isn’t even trying to be competitive in a given year.
Yeah, it’s so easy to get to 90 wins that exactly seven (7) teams out of thirty did it in 2024. No team got to a hundred wins, of course, including the supposedly immortal Dodgers.
If everything goes right for the Dodgers and all their 30+ guys avoid big injuries and decline-phase drops in production, they might get back to their 2024 total of 98 wins. But it could easily go the other way if the IL time starts to pile up for the aging vets.
so what. they need to win 4 of the final 7 games. that’s what matters.
Casey, most of the league isn’t even trying to be competitive next season. The Dodgers clearly are and have not been under 90 wins since 2012 in a full year. I’m a Dodger fan and some of their teams since 2012 weren’t even good and still got to 90 wins (ie 2023, 2016, 2015). Nothing lasts forever, but Freidman and company seemed to have mastered the regular season.
Ackshually they have to win seven postseason games against good teams before they even get to the last best-of-seven. The Padres had them down 2-1 in that best-of-five.
I’m assuming that the Dodgers will make the postseason because of all their money. But it’s gonna take a major effort from an aging group.
just keep beating that horse
The horse ain’t getting any younger, either.
Dodgers had to throw a lot of scrubs (Ramirez squared, Petersen, Feyereisen, Crismatt, Logue, Brogdon, Vanasco, etc.) in the 2024 season to eat innings due to abnormal amount of pitching injuries. Only two pitchers pitched more than 100 innings. They’re much deeper in 2025 on the pitching side. Last year, the goal was not to win 100+ games as they had done plenty of times in prior seasons, but rather, to be injury free come playoff time. They didn’t succeed in that area but they sure tried. I’m assuming that they’ll do everything possible to keep SPs healthy for postseason in 2025 with hopefully less injuries.
Everyone already knows that they’re an older team. But in 2024, the Dodgers were first or second in MLB in the following categories: runs, RBIs, total bases, BBs, OBP, SLG, OPS. Third in home runs. Fourth in batting average. Don’t know about you but I think the offense is just fine.
Well, yeah, Ohtani had an otherworldly year and Freeman, Betts and Muncy all made big contributions when they were healthy. Are all four of those 30+ guys gonna duplicate that in 2025? It’s possible but I wouldn’t bet Shohei’s bank account on it.
Snell’s gonna pile up significant IL time. Kershaw might spend five months on the IL, if he finally does sign at all. A lot of the rest of the staff looks wobbly given their own lengthy injury histories. Though I expect the ridiculously rich Dodgers to buy some arms.
Let’s just see how things have shaken out come October, 2025.
While you’re predicting the future, can you share any good stock market tips?
Dodgers led MLB in total days spent on the IL in 2024.
Wait let me re-phrase that:
The World Champion Dodgers led MLB in total days spent on the IL in 2024.
They’ll manage.
You’re freaking clueless. If anything they put more quantity if they’re in the lineup. All three have been durable players. They’re all of a sudden going to flame out and get hurt? Yeah, I get it. I’m sure that’s the hope and train of thought for the haters. If you can’t beat them just hope they all get hurt and wishfully hoping that they all decline. Let’s see how that works out for you.
Bottom line if you think the Dodgers are winning 90 or less I think anyone else on this board (non-trolls), Dodger fan or not, would take you up on that ridiculous bet.
And genius, Ohtani has put up an OPS average of about 1.000 on three of his last four years. His only off season was in 2022. He won’t get as many steaks in 2025 but he’ll be just fine at the plate.
Short DJT stock?
lol
They also have kept Left Field open for their top prospect Daulton Rushing and Center Field is going to be covered by Andy Pages.
The plan for 2026 is to play Alex Freeland at Shortstop or Third Base once Muncy’s contract is done.
I think Edman will see more time in CF than Pages. I see Rushing platooning with Pages.
Get well soon !
A great WS! A healthy person would have been proud of his performance. What a great player!
Just like Shilling and Gibson!
Rob
Great comp.
Gibby had his leg fractured by a Clemente line drive and pitched to three more batters before falling to the ground, ending his game. What a competitor.
I meant Kirk Gibson, but Bob Gibson is another good example
🙂 I was at Kirk Gibson’s game in ’88. And Freddie’s slam in ’24.
Roberts announces that Ohtani won’t be pitching to start the season. That he won’t start his throwing program until spring training starts. He did say that Ohtani would be available as a hitter for the Tokyo Series. Then a couple of days later announces that Freeman had surgery that will keep him from playing in Tokyo Series that happens March 16th in the middle of the spring training. Dodgers are going to be banged to start next season.
Best to Freddie for a quick recuperation and solid ’25 season.
Wonder why it took so long to have the surgery done
Thoughts and prayers he survives the surgery.
Praying for a swift recovery for the future HOF’r
Can the dodgers just defer this recovery time to 2038?
such an original and creative joke. you must be proud.
Oh no how will the Dodgers survive with one of their purchased All-Stars out for a few games, who will they spend $100M ($50M deferred) on to replace his production for one whole week? Probably time to buy Soto so the fake LA clown bandwagon loser fans can stop their whining.
@manfred; you definitely need a Snickers Candy Bar! And a friend or two! Hope you get better soon. Merry Christmas.
vinc3nt3: Imaging isn’t always conclusive & conservative, non-surgical treatment is often preferred because of risks of surgery in general. So they give it some time with rest & rehab, then reevaluate. World series ended 5 weeks ago I think? That’s about the time they’d give it
I forgot the pleasure it is to see people complain about everything
when you win.
“set a record with 12 rbi’s”. Bobby Richardson had 12 against the Pirates in the 1960 WS.
Oh noes. Oh wait, it’s the Dodgers. They got like a zillion guys on offense