NEW YORK — After watching injured first baseman Freddie Freeman go hitless in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would consider sitting the eight-time All-Star for Game 6 on Sunday in LA.
“I’m going to have a conversation with him tomorrow,” Roberts said after a 12-6 loss to the New York Mets. “But I do think that his swing is not right. I’m certain it’s the ankle. We’ll have that conversation, but it’s certainly an option to not have him in there for Game 6, yes.”
Freeman sprained his right ankle on Sept. 26. The medical staff told him the injury usually requires four to six weeks of rest. Freeman returned to action in eight days. He has not produced an extra-base hit this postseason.
Freeman recorded a pair of singles and scored a run in a Game 1 victory. Since then, he has gone cold, with one hit in 15 at-bats. He sat when New York started a left-handed pitcher in Game 4. The Mets will use left-handed starter Sean Manaea on Sunday.
In order to play, Freeman has dedicated somewhere between four to five hours of treatment before each game. He has been unable to do his usual pregame routine. And the doctors have told him his ankle won’t improve until he can rest in the winter.
“It’s like you’re running a 100-meter hurdles, I keep hitting the same hurdle and I run right into it every time,” Freeman said. “It is what it is, and I’m doing the best I can. I’ll get a lot of treatment tomorrow and try to fix this swing.”
(Photo of Freddie Freeman: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
