Freddie Freeman will play through the pain of the hairline fracture in his right middle finger, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday.
Freeman's pain tolerance will dictate his availability and he is in the lineup for their game against the Seattle Mariners.
His injury occurred during the Dodgers' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Initially called a jammed finger, the injury worsened from Saturday to Sunday, even as x-rays came back negative. Roberts told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times before the series finale against the Cardinals that Freeman was unable to grip a bat. He did not play Sunday and described his status as day-to-day.
Freeman playing through an injury means he will essentially remain day-to-day going forward. If he needs to miss any significant amount of time, it could be a critical blow to a Dodgers offense that is just getting healthy. Freeman is hitting .292 on the season and leads the National League in on-base percentage (.391).
Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts returned to the lineup last week and two more Dodgers are on the verge of rejoining the team as Tommy Edman and Max Muncy were both activated before Monday's game. Additionally, they recalled catcher Hunter Feduccia in a flurry of roster moves.
The Dodgers designated Nick Ahmed for assignment, sent down Andy Pages, and placed catcher Austin Barnes on the injured list as corresponding moves.
Freddie Freeman injury threatens re-tooled Dodgers lineup
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Roberts posted his first lineup of this current rendition of the Dodgers on Monday evening, and the top third of the order looks the same. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts occupy the top two spots, with Freeman batting third, as Roberts like to split him and Ohtani as two lefty hitters.
Muncy makes his return in the seven spot. He has not played since May 15, but for the first six weeks of the season was posting numbers typical of his career — a .223 batting average but a .798 OPS to go with it. His strikeout rate was a career high to that point (29.9%), but in only 139 at bats, it's not worth making too much of it.
Edman will make his Dodgers debut in the nine hole after LA acquired him from the Cardinals at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old has not played in the Majors this season, but slashed 294/.478/.471 in 14 minor league games between the Cardinals and Dodgers systems. He's playing centerfield, but saw time both in center and at shortstop during his rehab stint.
