Braves star 1B Freddie Freeman leaves game with upper-respiratory infection

Braves five-time All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman left Saturday’s game with “an upper-respiratory infection,” according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Bowman also points out that Freeman tested negative for COVID-19 and that he may have caught an unspecified “bug” that his kids have at the moment. 

The Braves’ superstar first baseman is having yet another excellent season, with a wRC+ of 136. If he can maintain that level of production for the remainder of the campaign, it would mark an amazing ninth straight season with a wRC+ of 132 or higher. Freeman is out of the lineup Sunday but hasn’t been placed on the IL, which suggests the Braves expect a short absence. 

In fact, Bowman says he could have played on Sunday, but the team will play it cautious and let him rest a bit longer. The club is in the midst of a three-team pennant race, sitting two games behind the Phillies and just half a game behind the Mets.

More notes from the National League…

• Brendan Rodgers was removed from Saturday night’s game after being hit on the hand but seems to have avoided significant injury. Rockies Manager Bud Black says that the X-rays came back negative, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. The infielder is finally getting a good run of playing time from the club and making good on his prospect pedigree. He’s been on Baseball America’s Top 100 every year since 2016. Through 227 plate appearances this season, he’s slashing .286/.348/.485, for a wRC+ of 110. The club has no need to rush him back, as they are well out of contention, 12.5 games out of a playoff spot.
• Francisco Lindor’s return timeline is still murky, even to himself. “I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Lindor said, per Newsday’s Tim Healey. “I would love to sit here and say, I’ll be back at home. Or I would love to say, I’ll be playing rehab [games] next week. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” Before going on the IL with an oblique strain in mid-July, the star shortstop was mired in his worst season to date, slashing .228/.326/.376 for a wRC+ of 97, but that was mostly caused by an ice-cold start to the year. Since May 29, his wRC+ has been an excellent 133. The Mets acquired Javier Baez at the deadline to try to cover for Lindor’s absence but have nonetheless slid out of the top spot in their division. They will surely be hoping for Lindor to recover as soon as possible, as the NL East pennant race seems destined to go down to the wire.