Dodgers Manager Has Concerning Admission About Freddie Freeman's Injury

Los Angeles Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman does not look like himself right now.

Freeman, who is hitting .293 this season with 16 home runs and an OPS of .818, is dealing with right knee tendinitis.

Since the start of August, the 10-time All-Star is hitting .252 with just one home run and an OPS of .651

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts touched on the injury this past weekend and said that while Freeman is feeling fine enough to play, he's far from the player the team is accustomed to seeing. 

“Just talking to him today, he said he felt good,” Roberts said on Sunday, before adding: “Obviously, the swings don’t indicate that, don’t kind of validate that … The last week, it’s pretty obvious that he’s not himself in the box.” 

Freeman's knee issue compromises his front side during swings, which has caused extra swing-and-miss at the plate and limited his mobility on defense.

On Monday for the team's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, Freeman was out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last week.

Roberts said Freeman's injury is one they'll have to manage for the rest of the season.

“I think it’s one of those things where we’ve got to manage it … just pick spots to give him an off day here or there,” Roberts said. “Again, we’ve just got to make sure he’s at optimal health when we finish the season. So I think that he might not love it, but giving him a day off here or there might be beneficial.”

Freeman is expected to avoid an IL stint and remains day-to-day. It remains to be seen if he's back on Tuesday.

"I just think right now, with where we’re at in the season, an IL is not an option in the sense of — I personally don’t think we have a better option," Roberts said. "I don’t think it needs to be 10 days. But could it be more than one? That’s a fair question."

Shohei Ohtani Working His Way Back From Injury

Freeman's injury is just another in a long list of injuries that the Dodgers are dealing with as the regular season winds down.

Freeman is not the only All-SAtar missing time, as Shohei Ohtani is far from healthy as the season winds down.

Ohtani is currently on the 15-day IL with knee, biceps and neck injuries. Roberts said that Ohtani will hit off a tee on Tuesday as he begins his ramp-up.

The 32-year-old is looking to quickly get back as he is eligible to return to the lineup on Sept. 23, just five days before the end of the regular season.

In the meantime, the Dodgers' top prospect, Josue De Paula, has replaced Ohtani as the everyday designated hitter.

If the Dodgers want any chance of completing the three-peat, though, Freeman and Ohtani will need to be healthy and producing at their usual levels.

Thus, the Dodgers will look to get them as close to 100% as possible over the next two weeks.

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