Freddie Freeman aiming for NLDS return; Shohei Ohtani making triple crown push

As he hobbled across the field at Dodger Stadium to talk to reporters on Thursday night, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman wore three notable things.

A walking boot. A National League West championship T-shirt. And, most importantly in the wake of his ankle injury in that night’s division-clinching win, a relieved and grateful smile.

“It’s like a grapefruit,” Freeman said of the swelling in his sprained, but not broken, right ankle. “But they’re pretty optimistic that I should be able to go by Saturday in the playoffs. That’s what I’m banking on.”

A day later, the Dodgers seemed confident in that possibility, as well.

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When the team filed out of its Champagne-soaked clubhouse Thursday and headed to the airport for a late-night flight to Denver, where they opened their series against the Colorado Rockies with a 11-4 win Friday, Freeman stayed back in Southern California.

Even though postgame X-rays on his ankle were negative, he and the team decided it wouldn't be wise to subject him to two flights for a series he probably wouldn't have played in anyway.

Instead, Freeman will remain in the Southland this weekend, getting treatment on his injury in hopes of being ready for the start of the National League Division Series next Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

“Obviously it’s really, really swollen, but they said once they get the fluid out, I should be able to go by Saturday,” said Freeman, who used crutches during the Dodgers’ clubhouse celebration but was walking with just the boot later in the night.

“Fortunately enough, we have some time off now to heal this thing,” he added. “I’m optimistic.”

Manager Dave Roberts took that optimism one step further on Friday, saying that he can’t “see any world” where Freeman isn’t in the lineup for the start of the postseason.

“He’s just such a warrior,” Roberts said. “And he’s gonna do anything he can to post.”

Freeman’s sprained ankle served as the latest hardship in what has been an arduous season for the 35-year-old slugger.

On the field, Freeman has had his least productive season in almost a decade. While his .282 batting average and .854 on-base-plus-slugging percentage are still well above league average, they’ve represented his worst marks since 2015. His 89 RBIs will mark his second-lowest total in a full season since 2017. And in recent weeks, as he has continued to battle a broken right middle finger he suffered in August, the left-handed hitter had been visibly frustrated with his swing, batting just .241 with five extra-base hits in his past 15 games.

None of that, however, has compared to the adversity Freeman faced off the field.

In late July, his 3-year-old son, Max, was temporarily paralyzed by a frightening case of Guillain-Barré syndrome, forcing Freeman to step away from the team for eight games. After spending the last two months in physical therapy, Max only began walking on his own again last week — a gratifying milestone for the Freeman family, but also a reflection of the difficult journey they’ve faced during the second half of the Dodgers’ season.

“Every day is better and better for Max and that’s all I can really ask for,” Freeman said. “But yeah, the last couple months have been trying.”

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That’s why, even though he’ll miss the final games of the regular season and have to spend his run-up to the playoff rehabbing his ankle, Freeman was still upbeat Thursday night.

“It’s all put in perspective now,” he said. “Yeah, tough couple of months. But when you look up and see that [we are] NL West champions and Max is walking now, things are OK.”

The same can seemingly be said for his sprained ankle, as well.

No seeding preference

While they’ve already clinched the NL West and a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Dodgers technically do have something to play for this week, beginning their series one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the majors — and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

However, Roberts said the club isn’t overly concerned about whether they are the first or second seed in the NL bracket, and that the bigger focus this week is keeping players healthy and fresh as they cross the regular-season finish line.

“I think it’s more of, just the idea of letting things play out the way they’re going to, and trying not to influence the wins and losses too much, as far as hoping for one particular seed,” Roberts said ahead of a Friday night contest in which he rested regulars Will Smith and Max Muncy, and opted for a bullpen game on the mound.

“I think for us, the most important thing is to take care of our relievers, get them ready for the division series, get them out of here healthy,” Roberts said. “Position players, as you see, I rested a couple guys. I’ll do that tomorrow as well. Still, we’re always playing to win. So I don’t really think that we really care if [we're seeded] one or two.”

Read more: Shohei Ohtani finishes with 411 total bases, a number exceeded only 15 times in MLB history

Triple crown chase?

One player who won’t be rested this week: Shohei Ohtani, who Roberts believed could still chase down San Diego Padres’ infielder Luis Arraez for the NL batting title — the last remaining box Ohtani, the NL leader in home runs (54) and RBIs (130), needs to check to secure a triple crown.

That scenario seemed admittedly unlikely, with Arraez entering the weekend seven points ahead of Ohtani for the batting title.

But, it became a little more plausible after Friday. Ohtani went four for five with his 54th home run of the season to raise his average to .309, while Arraez went three for five to up his to .314 — narrowing the gap ever so slightly.

“If those Diamondbacks can keep Arraez hitless” in the Padres series at Arizona this weekend, Roberts argued pregame, “it could be within reason.”

Then again, if Ohtani, who is now 24 for his last 34 in his last eight games, keeps up this pace for two more games, even that might not be needed.

“It’s right there,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ win. “I just checked and unfortunately Arraez has a couple of hits … But Shohei, man, he put on a show tonight.”

NLDS rotation likely set

Roberts confirmed Friday that the Dodgers’ starting rotation for the NLDS will include Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Landon Knack — though not necessarily in that order.

Yamamoto and Knack will pitch this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, though Roberts noted that Knack might follow an opener (perhaps as a preview of how he might be used in the postseason).

Roberts also said Tony Gonsolin, who made three minor-league rehab starts this month after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, is unlikely to be on the Dodgers’ postseason roster barring “something really unforeseen.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.