The month has been rather turbulent for Freddie Freeman. His son Maximus was rushed to the emergency because of a full body paralysis. He had to spend three days at the hospital under a doctor’s supervision until he was well enough to return home, diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called Guillain-Barre where the body attacks its nerves. It was a trying time for the family and recently Freddie Freeman was almost on the verge of crying recalling his son’s battle. Adding more miseries during this tough time is his recent injury.

The LA Dodgers first baseman was met with a hairline fracture in his middle right finger. But, Freeman didn’t end up in the IL and instead, decided to be in the lineup against the Seattle Mariners. Talk about tough! Dave Roberts couldn’t help but be impressed with the level of grit shown by Freeman. He was thrilled also because, after a summer of patching together a lineup riddled with players out on IL, Monday’s lineup looked great.

Injury cannot hold down Freddie Freeman 

Freddie Freeman suffered an injury while playing against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. He exited the game and at first it was reported that it was just a jammed finger. The Dodgers fans sighed in relief- the last thing anyone wants is another player on the injured list, especially of Freeman’s caliber. But turns out things were more serious than it was projected at first. Freeman was diagnosed with a hairline fracture. He underwent a CT scan, which revealed the issue. 

Dave Roberts posted an update saying the doc mentioned, “Freddie is doing fine. There’s a hairline fracture on his right middle finger. Freddie’s got a high tolerance, so he’s going to play. He couldn’t brush his teeth or his hair, but the swelling dissipated. Just speaks to how tough he is.” But a hairline fracture isn’t something that seems to be able to stop Freddie Freeman. Roberts mentioned that Freeman tested his bandaged finger in the pre-game drills and told the team that he could tolerate the pain and play. Roberts said, “We talked about it briefly, but he was adamant that he was gonna be fine. He’s a guy that you certainly trust.”

Hence, Freddie Freeman played on Monday against the Seattle Mariners. He was hitting third behind Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. In a season filled with injuries, Freeman has been the constant—showing up day in and day out to anchor that third spot in the lineup. It was only when his son suffered a health scare that prompted him to take a hiatus from the game. Despite all this, he’s been an offensive force this season, batting .292 with 17 home runs, six stolen bases, and 72 RBIs.

Max Muncy makes a roaring comeback!

Freddie Freeman, not going into the injured list, came as a huge relief to the team. But there was other exciting news too—Max Muncy made a comeback. The veteran third baseman for the last three months was battling a series of setbacks in his recovery due to an oblique injury. However, Muncy recently cleared that the strain wasn’t the only thing that was causing the problem, and doctors also found a bottom rib that was out of place. Muncy said, “A bottom rib that was out of place that was causing a lot of damage.” Nevertheless, he got a chiropractic adjustment, and that seemed to put the issue to rest.

When Max Muncy stepped up in the second inning, the crowd burst with a round of applause for the veteran. And while three months is a lengthy period to be away from the baseball field, it didn’t take Max Muncy long to start hitting home runs. On his third plate, he sent the ball flying for a 400-foot home run off Mariners reliever Yimi García. After the game, Max Muncy couldn’t hold back his excitement. He mentioned to Dodgers sideline reporter Kirsten Watson, “It was a really long three months for me, and it kind of felt like your season was starting to get taken away a little bit. So it was definitely special just to be back out here, and to contribute on top of it — good feeling.”

A homer just on a return seems to be a La Dodgers thing; even Mookie Betts had hit one when he made a return. Plus, it was not just Max Muncy who came back from IL. Tommy Edman also returned from the injured list. So overall things are looking up for the team right now. And the fact that Freeman was not seriously injured and is in the lineup is a huge relief for the team.