The Braves surprised everyone Tuesday by activating slugger Freddie Freeman from the disabled list, one day shy of the seven-week mark since he fractured his left wrist.
Freeman and the team said last week that the earliest the move might happen would occur during the Nationals series that starts Thursday in Washington and that Freeman might not be back until July 14 after the All-Star break. But like every other phase of his recovery, the minor-league rehab part was shortened to two games, Saturday and Monday.
“He texted me (Monday) night and said, ‘I’m ready,’” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Freeman, who was initially expected to be out 10 weeks, was examined again Tuesday afternoon by Braves chief physician and hand specialist Gary Lourie and cleared to play. Snitker then penciled him into the lineup for the opener of a two-game series against the Astros at SunTrust Park, batting third and, yes, playing third base.
That’s his new position, at least temporarily, after Freeman suggested about three weeks ago a move from first base so that hot-hitting Matt Adams could stay in the lineup
“I texted (Snitker) last night after the game and said I was good to go,” Freeman said. “I felt good swinging, my wrist feels good. I probably swung more on Sunday (his day off between rehab games) than I normally would on a regular day. That was a big tell for me, being able to swing back-to-back-to-back days.
“My wrist feels good, and they’re obviously on board with it, coming back right now.”
Freeman said he intends to play every remaining game — “I’m not coming back to take a game off here and there” — and is confident the Braves can make a run at a playoff berth. The team was 16-21 and eight games behind National League East-leading Washington when he got hurt and went 24-20 while he was on the DL. The Braves remained eight games behind the Nationals before Tuesday.
“I had all the confidence in the world in this team,” he said, ” and obviously they’ve played so well, above .500 since I’ve been gone, and kept us right in it. We’ve got 81 games left, and you see (versatile veteran) Sean Rodriguez rehabbing, too; he should be back in the next couple of weeks hopefully, so we’ve got some guys coming in that will hopefully make our team even deeper than it already is. I think we’re set up perfectly, right where we need to be to make a run here.”
Freeman had just one ground ball hit to him in two rehab games at Triple-A Gwinnett, the first times he played third base in games since doing it for five games in rookie ball in 2007.
“Right when I got that first ground ball on Saturday, all the uneasy feeling went away, and when I started the game last night I was wanting them to hit the ball to me,” Freeman said. “That’s all I said from the beginning, that’s the feeling that I wanted. Obviously it was a Triple-A game. We’ll see how I’m feeling in the top of the first tonight. But that’s what I wanted. I felt how I feel at first base, the feeling of wanting them to hit the ball to me.”
Freeman began taking batting practice last week in San Diego while with accompanying the Braves on the first part of a two-city trip so that he could keep working with infield coach Ron Washington. He is back sooner than even the most optimistic projections after fracturing a bone in his wrist in 12 places when hit by a pitch May 17.
“Remarkable,” Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “It shows how tough he is. He takes care of himself in order to come back and be able to do his thing. We’re extremely happy to have him back, excited for things moving forward.”
Freeman said, “I worked hard and the medical staff, we all worked hard together. There’s a lot of hard work that went into it, and the will to come back as fast as I could played a big factor. I just wanted to get back as soon as I could.”
Freeman was asked if he had any concerns about coming back so soon and how he knew the rehab time was sufficient.
“My wrist feels good, that’s when I knew I was ready to go,” he said. “It’s not like a tendon or ligaments or anything, it was a fractured bone, and the bone feels good. I saw Dr. Lourie today and he said it’s the hardest (the bone) has been. That’s all I needed to hear, I know it’s not going to re-break unless I get hit again.
“So I’m going out there and I was standing in the box the last couple of games in rehab and had no worries about getting hit by a pitch. And that’s another thing — I had the ease of my mind going into the box, I felt good up there, I had no concerns whatsoever about my wrist. And that’s when I knew I was ready.”
Freeman had detailed for reporters last week a plan to join the Braves either later this week in Washington or to wait to come off the DL during the homestand that starts July 14 after the All-Star break. Instead he pronounced himself ready after just two rehab games, including a rain-shortened first one Saturday when he fielded one ball at third base.
He had two hits and a walk Monday to make him 2-for-3 with a single, two walks and one strikeout — and just one ground ball hit to him — on his truncated rehab assignment.
Freeman, who hit .341 and led the NL with 14 home runs and a 1.209 OPS before he was injured, suggested the move from his first-base position to third base to keep hot-hitting first baseman Matt Adams in the lineup.
He began working out at third base two weeks ago, a week after he’d initially brought up the idea of a position switch to team officials and a day after telling them he was serious about it and wanted to do it. While there was some apprehension, Braves officials agreed to let him try it at least as a temporary solution.
There’s always a chance the Braves could trade Adams before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline or this offseason, in which case Freeman would switch back to first base. But for now, the plan is for him to play third base for the rest of the season, at which point the Braves would evaluate the situation.
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