Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is away from the team to be with his family and his son, who has been in the hospital this week.
Freeman was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup against the Houston Astros late on Friday night so he could return home to Southern California. Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, wrote on her Instagram story on Thursday that their 3-year-old son, Maximus, was in the hospital earlier this week.
Freeman was seen sprinting out of the Dodgers' clubhouse after their game on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and both he and his wife spent Wednesday night in the emergency room with Maximus, per The Los Angeles Times. Chelsea said that Maximus has transient synovitis, which is the inflammation of the lining of the hip joint and is something that is often seen in young children. Specifics about his condition are not known.
"When your child is going through things it's just hard to be present, and rightfully so," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, via The Times. "He certainly had a heavy heart the last few days, and I just pray that Max is going to recover well and have a full recovery."
It’s unclear how long Freeman will be away from the Dodgers, but Roberts doesn’t expect him to make the trip back to Houston.
"I was texting with him now … His son is still getting tests," Roberts said, via the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://x.com/billplunkettocr/status/1817038944002773132">OC Register's Dave Bill Plunkett</a>. "So I obviously just don't see him being here for this series. Once we get to the West Coast, we'll see if that's in play after the off day."
Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, is in his third season with the Dodgers this summer. He’s batting .288 and has 16 home runs with 67 RBI in 104 games.
Without Freeman, the Dodgers lost to the Astros 5-0 on Friday night in the first game of their three-game series. Framber Valdez struck out 10 batters in his more than six innings on the mound for the Astros, and both Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton hit home runs early in the shutout win. The Dodgers, who sit at 62-43, hold a 6.5-game lead in the NL West.