LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman found himself the subject of some lighthearted teasing after an unusual mishap led to an injury. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star missed his second consecutive game due to a setback incurred from slipping and falling in his shower. The mishap affected his surgically repaired right ankle, an unfortunate turn of events for the first baseman.
“This was just a freak accident, something you can hardly believe,” Freeman expressed on Tuesday. He recounted that the incident took place on Sunday morning, during an off-day for his team. While enjoying his coffee, Freeman decided to get ready for the day with a quick shower, but unexpectedly found himself sprawled in his bathtub. Freeman humorously painted a vivid image of the morning mishap, saying, “It’s quite a mental picture if you try to imagine a big guy like me falling all over the place.”
Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, was the first to relay the news to his father, who was incredulous. Freeman shared, “He couldn’t believe it, asking if she was serious.” Chelsea joked about the situation, remarking that she expected to handle such incidents when Freeman turned 70, not at 35. Even their four-year-old son, Brandon, didn’t miss the chance to chime in, teasingly pointing out, “Daddy, you got another boo-boo.”
Freeman had previously sprained his ankle on a base-running play in late September, which made his initial playoff rounds challenging. Nevertheless, during the World Series, he was in exceptional form, marking home runs in four consecutive games and accumulating 12 RBIs to help the Dodgers secure victory over the New York Yankees in five games. Subsequently, Freeman underwent debridement surgery in December to remove loose bodies from his ankle.
After the shower accident, Chelsea had to drive Freeman to Dodger Stadium for a treatment session lasting three hours. Fortunately, no severe damage was detected from an X-ray, and by the session’s conclusion, Freeman was able to drive himself back home. “The X-ray results were a relief,” Freeman said. “I simply aggravated things a bit but was just sore afterward.” He acknowledged how much worse the outcome could have been given that his shower-tub setup includes a glass door, noting, “I could have hit my head.”
Despite the setback, the World Series MVP has had a promising start to the season, batting 3 for 12 with two home runs and four RBIs. He was initially a scratch from the season opener in Tokyo due to left rib discomfort. A purist in terms of his equipment, Freeman stated that he has no intention of following the trend towards torpedo-shaped bats. “I’ve used the same bat for 16 years,” Freeman asserted. “I won’t be changing it. If it’s legal, others can do what they like, and if it’s effective for them, then go for it. Some of our guys are switching to them.”
Freeman hopes to return for the series finale against his former team, the Atlanta Braves, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, back at home, a plumber visited on Tuesday to repair a leaking shower handle. Given the recent experience, Freeman joked, “I’m avoiding that shower from now on — I’m 0 for 1 with that one.”