The ankle injury that threatened to end Freddie Freeman’s season in September will apparently keep the Los Angeles Dodgers’ All-Star out of the lineup for Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Thursday.
Freeman is not in the starting lineup for the game at Citi Field, with left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana starting for the New York Mets.
Max Muncy is playing first base and Kiké Hernández is starting at third base in Muncy’s place.
Gavin Lux, another left-handed hitter who is battling a hip injury of his own, is also not in the Dodgers’ lineup. Veteran Chris Taylor, a right-handed hitter, is starting at second base instead. Rookie center fielder Andy Pages, another right-handed hitter, is in the Dodgers’ lineup as well.
With Freeman out, Teoscar Hernández is batting third, behind Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, and Tommy Edman is taking his first turn as the Dodgers’ cleanup hitter.
Freeman, who’s attempting to play through a sprained right ankle that he suffered Sept. 26, started each of the first three games of the series. He also started the first two games of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, but could not finish the second after tweaking the ankle.
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Told at the time he suffered the injury that it typically requires a 4- to 6-week recovery timeframe, Freeman attempted to return to the Dodgers’ lineup 10 days later.
An All-Star this season for the eighth time in his career in 2024, Freeman hit 22 home runs, drove in 89, and slashed .282/.378/.476 for the NL West champion Dodgers.
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