LOS ANGELES -- Freddie Freeman was not in the Dodgers' lineup on Tuesday night, his second game in a row sitting out due to a "little mishap" where he slipped entering the shower at home, aggravating his surgically repaired right ankle, manager Dave Roberts said.
Freeman's ankle swelled up as a result, and the Dodgers will try to stay away from using him on Tuesday, although he's not outright unavailable. He's considered day to day, and Roberts hopes to have him back in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale.
Roberts noted that Freeman thought he would be able to play through this latest ailment, but the star first baseman rarely wants to miss a game, regardless of how he's feeling. The only time Roberts could remember Freeman feeling that he couldn't play was during last year's NL Championship Series, when he was managing the same ankle -- which was badly injured at the time and eventually required surgery.
"For the most part," Roberts said, "he's always kicking and screaming."
Freeman was expected to get more rest days than usual early on -- much to his chagrin, as his goal every season is to play as much as possible. He also sat out the two-game Tokyo Series to open the season because he was feeling discomfort in his left rib area, another injury that he had played through last postseason.
During Spring Training, Freeman said he would likely need to manage his right ankle deep into the regular season. He is still undergoing extensive treatment on the ankle before and after games.
"It wasn't 100 percent," Roberts said of Freeman's ankle before it was tweaked again in the shower. "But still, obviously the way he swung the bat -- he was in a good spot."
Freeman went 3-for-12 (.250) with two homers, a double and four RBIs in his first three games of the season.