Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman took swings on Tuesday for the first time since he was placed on the 15-day disabled list April 7 with a strained right oblique muscle.
Freeman said the oblique “felt fine” while taking 30 swings. He was to be examined by the doctor later Tuesday to come up with a plan for the rest of the week. Freeman is eligible to come off the disabled list on Monday.
“See if it's sore tomorrow,” he said. “Go at it again tomorrow if it's feeling all right.”
Freeman suffered the injury during a workout before opening day but played in five games before the Braves shut him down. He's hitting 7 for 17 (.412) with a home run and seven RBIs.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Freeman could go to extended spring training “to get some at-bats, get into game speed” before re-joining the lineup.
“It wouldn't surprise me when if 15 days are up he's ready to play, or shortly thereafter,” Gonzalez said.
At the time the Braves decided to place Freeman on the disabled list, he was angry the team made the move without first talking to him. He also wasn't pleased that he couldn't travel with the team during its six-game road trip that ended Sunday.
Freeman appeared to be in much better spirits Tuesday.
“I had a week to calm down,” he said. “I'm good.”
General manager Frank Wren said the Braves made the decision after consulting with doctors and determining they didn't want to risk Freeman tearing the muscle and being forced to miss an extended period of time. He said it's club policy for players who are restricted from doing baseball activities to not travel with the team.
