Dave Roberts had great reason for not giving Freddie Freeman a day off

Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman was in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies despite being hit by a pitch the night before and it sounds like he gave manager Dave Roberts no choice but to play him.

Freeman took a 91 mph fastball to the right knee from Rockies pitcher Matt Koch on Saturday night. He limped down to first base and remained in the game after being briefly checked by a trainer. 

The slugger later told reporters that he declined X-rays and was not considering sitting out the series finale on Sunday.

As many expected, Freeman got the start on Sunday. Roberts was asked before the game if he tried to convince Freeman to sit out. That led to Roberts sharing a great story.

“I came in from the postgame scrum (on Friday) and he was in my office in my chair getting ahead of it so I wouldn’t entertain him not playing today,” Roberts told the media. “So, I didn’t try to even go there.”