Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has been dealing with knee pain toward the end of this season, but the Boys in Blue securing a bye for the Wild Card round may be his saving grace.
Freeman said Tuesday that he feels better than he had recently, with “no pain in my knee right now.”
He added that he’s using this period of five days without games to get some “mental rest,” though his physical preparation for the playoffs is far from over.
Freddie Freeman making changes ahead of playoffs
Freeman, who according to ESPN hit a dreadful .184/.259/.224 in September after a roaring summer at the plate, said he’s making some changes this week.
In particular, he’s looking at his swing and how to get back on track this October.
Freeman said “I’ll be hitting BP every day” and is working a plan he has on how to make himself a dangerous hitter again when October comes around.
After all, in June, he slashed .337/.425/.548/.973, and he followed that up with a torrid July as well, hitting .348/.384/.467/.851.
Freeman said in October 2024, he felt “probably 100 times worse,” so he think he can figure it out for this postseason, too.
“I have all the confidence in myself that I will figure it out by Saturday,” he said.
Freddie Freeman sounds off on Dodgers’ mindset ahead of playoffs
Freeman also faced the inevitable questions about this team’s quest for a third straight title, something he said he’s “personally not thinking about.”
Instead, Freeman said he’s keeping his focus on this upcoming series, including who the Dodgers will play and how to beat them.
“I think if you think big picture in this moment, you’re going to lose you lose sight of some things,” he said. “You just got to take each day one at one day at a time. And we do understand the bigger picture, but if you’re looking at the bigger picture, the you won’t be able to get to that big picture if you’re not focusing on the now.”
It sounds like Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers are locked in on this weekend.
Do you think the Dodgers will three-peat this season?
