The National League MVP is back.
First baseman Freddie Freeman passed the screening process and worked out with the Braves on Monday morning. Freeman was a late arrival to camp after his wife, Chelsea, announced the birth of their third son Feb. 21.
The Braves announced Freeman’s arrival by posting a video of him taking batting practice on their social media channels. Freeman will be ready for opening day.
.@FreddieFreeman5 has arrived to #BravesST!#MVFree pic.twitter.com/04YHHAnfU3
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 1, 2021
“It’s great to have him back,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I haven’t had the chance to sit down and see what his thinking is, but I know he’ll have a pretty good idea of how he wants to go, what he’s been doing. That’s the least of our worries, him having enough time. He’ll have plenty of time to get where he needs to be. We want to make sure he’s doing enough baseball activity to be ready to play a game.”
Freeman — entering the final year of a record eight-year, $135 million contract — is coming off the best season of his career, winning NL MVP after hitting .341/.462/.640 with 13 homers, 53 RBIs and 51 runs scored for the first-place Braves.
More importantly to Freeman, he hopes 2021 includes even more team success. The Braves went to the NL Championship Series last season, falling to the Dodgers in seven games. They’ll try to get over the final hump this time around.
