LOS ANGELES -- Freddie Freeman expects to be limited coming into Spring Training as he continues his rehab from right ankle surgery, but he believes he should be on track to play in the season-opening Tokyo Series.

The Dodgers¡¯ star first baseman underwent a procedure consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies from his right ankle in early December. Freeman sprained his ankle on Sept. 25 and missed the last three games of the regular season, then played through the injury in the postseason.

Eight weeks after the procedure, he was able to hit for the first time. While Freeman thinks he¡¯ll be ready to go as a hitter by the time Spring Training begins, he hasn¡¯t been cleared to run yet.

¡°I think by the time I get to Spring Training ¡­ I should be probably full-bore hitting-wise, like taking batting practice with the guys, being able to do live BPs,¡± Freeman said on Saturday at DodgerFest. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I will be in the games at the beginning.¡±

Dodgers pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch on Feb. 11, and the first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 15.

Freeman said he is on track to begin a running progression when he arrives at Spring Training, which should push back his timeline to appear in Cactus League games. The Dodgers open their spring slate against the Cubs on Feb. 20.

During the first two rounds of the Dodgers¡¯ 2024 postseason run, Freeman was clearly playing through a lot of pain. He missed two games in the NL Championship Series, then had enough time to rest his ankle before the World Series.

By that point, Freeman said he was feeling much better, and he figured that physical therapy and rest would be all he needed to get back to full health. But around Thanksgiving, there was still swelling in his ankle, and imaging revealed that he needed surgery.

¡°When they went in, they didn¡¯t know if they were going to have to repair some of the ligaments, because I had torn some of my ligaments, as well, in my ankle,¡± Freeman said. ¡°It was quite a nasty injury I had. Luckily, in those four weeks, the ligaments and tendons had healed enough where they didn¡¯t have to fix my tendons and ligaments.¡±

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After hitting for the first time since his surgery in the two days leading up to DodgerFest, Freeman said he feels good and has recovered well. He¡¯s also glad to be back in action -- while he said he normally takes a fair amount of time off from swinging in the offseason, he started to feel ¡°antsy¡± around mid-January, when he still had not taken any swings.

For the second straight year, the Dodgers have an abridged Spring Training because they are playing abroad to open the season. This year, they¡¯ll play two against the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, from March 18-19.