LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – That whole plan the Braves detailed last week about Freddie Freeman taking things slow early in spring training, about holding him back a bit and having him ease into hitting to avoid aggravating the wrist injury that shortened his 2015 season and lingered deep into the offseason?
Well, nevermind. Sort of.
Freeman was in the lineup for the Braves’ Grapefruit League opener Tuesday, and on his second swing he lined a ground-rule double that bounced over the deep right-field fence in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Champion Stadium.
There was little, if any, sign of rust from Freeman, though he did strike out with two runners in scoring position to end the third inning in his only other plate appearance. He came out as planned after 3 ½ innings, and said he felt great and had no problems with the right wrist that sidelined him for 44 games last season.
The Braves still, however, plan to be cautious and give him only two or three at-bats every other day for a while.
“Freeman’s fine. You couldn’t ask for a better test than that,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of the double. “We’ll play it by ear every day, talk to our medical staff – and Freeman obviously has a lot of input, too. I think we’ve got him (playing) like every other day, get him a couple of at-bats every other day, couple times where he gets two days off, but then there’s a couple of times where he (plays) three days in a row.
“But right now I’m really pleased about his wrist, and keep progressing.”
Lingering soreness in the wrist prevented Freeman from swinging a bat in the offseason until Dec. 31, and that was just “dry swings” — no baseballs involved — to rest the wrist. When he reported to spring training last week, he still had only hit balls off a tee or balls flipped to him underhanded.
He had two “coach-pitch” batting-practice sessions and two live batting practices against Braves pitchers in the past week, Freeman’s only times facing overhanded pitching since September until Tuesday. But when the Grapefruit League season got underway, the Braves’ best hitter and two-time former All-Star was in the lineup.
Hitting in his usual third spot in the order, he came up with two out in the first inning and drove a pitch from right-hander Mike Wright that bounced off the warning track and over the fence for a double.
“It is encouraging,” Gonzalez said. “If you break his swing down it is a violent swing; well, I wouldn’t say violent, but it’s a hands-y swing, a wrist-y swing. So anytime he gets something wrong with his wrist or his finger or something like that it really scares you. But so far he’s been good.”
His other plate appearance came in the third inning with two on and two out, after a leadoff single by designated hitter Matt Tuisasosopo and a two-out double from veteran shortstop newcomer Erick Aybar. Freeman got ahead in the count 3-0 against right-hander Tyler Wilson but ended up striking out swinging.
