Freeman (ankle) looks better than expected in spring debut

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Freddie Freeman is not one to do things halfway, and the Dodgers have reaped the benefits of that grit time and again.

Last year, when Freeman's badly injured right ankle threatened to keep him out of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, he played through the pain and went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. The ankle later forced him to miss a handful of postseason games, and it ended up requiring offseason surgery to heal properly.

So, manager Dave Roberts made a point of reminding his star first baseman to hold back from doing too much in his first Cactus League game of 2025.

"We talked about it," Roberts said before Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Rockies at Salt River Fields, "and I will reiterate it when he gets in the batter's box again today."

Because Freeman started at designated hitter, if there were anywhere for him to push his limits, it would have been on the basepaths. It didn't take long for Freeman to get a chance to test his ankle, as he lined a single to right field in his first at-bat.

Trotting to first base at a 23.2 feet-per-second clip, Freeman appeared to have received the message -- although he still does his best to keep pushing for more.

“I felt pretty good today, actually," Freeman said. "Saw the pitches well. Felt like I swung at strikes. The last one was a little up, but I just wanted to swing a lot today."

Freeman finished the afternoon 1-for-3. He noted that he took more swings than he normally would have in an effort to gauge where his timing was.

"I thought he was moving really well," Roberts said. "I thought he was seeing the ball really well considering it was his first game. Good swing that first at-bat. I thought he looked good, looked better than I would have expected, and from what I hear he came out of it well."

Although Freeman had been doing much of his work in camp without any tape on his ankle, he opted to tape it up for Thursday's game. He'll have to manage the ankle deep into the season, he said, and will continue to use tape until it feels fully healthy.

"I do think I’m going to be getting a lot of treatment and taping … probably 'til the All-Star break, I would assume," Freeman said. "It’s just hard because you’re on your feet all day long. Lower-body injuries are hard to rehab, especially the ankle."

Following a scheduled rest day on Friday, Freeman is expected to get into Saturday's matinee against the Giants at Camelback Ranch. The plan is for him to DH again, and he hopes to play first base on Sunday, with Monday's team off-day giving him the time to recuperate before diving back in.

In an ideal world, Freeman wants to get 30 competitive at-bats in before the Dodgers' regular-season games begin with the Tokyo Series against the Cubs from March 18-19. He would prefer that those at-bats came in Cactus League or exhibition games, but he'll supplement his game action with backfield reps as needed.

With Shohei Ohtani expected to make his spring debut as the DH on Friday night against the Angels, the Dodgers are getting closer to having their trio of MVPs back atop the lineup. When that day comes, they'll be back in the same order as last year: Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freeman.

Last season was a whirlwind for Freeman. After an All-Star first half, his production took an understandable dip when his youngest son, Max, was diagnosed with a rare neurological illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome. Freeman had to take some time away from the team to attend to his family, and Max is now doing much better.

Freeman's now-repaired ankle pales in comparison to what his family went through last year. When talking about his iconic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series, he's said multiple times that he would have rather struck out in that situation if it meant that Max had never fallen ill.

Freeman has left the lows and highs of last season behind him now, even though he's been able to appreciate the highs more with time. Now, he's focused on getting ready for the regular season.

"Every single year is the same," Freeman said. "I'm just trying to win a championship. So for me, it's easy to focus on the now, but I can still appreciate last year."