Freeman will play through severe ankle sprain in NLDS

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman will be playing through the pain during the NLDS.

Freeman revealed Friday that he’ll be on the Dodgers’ playoff roster and play Saturday despite suffering a severe right ankle sprain during the final week of the regular season.

The sprain is so severe, he said, that doctors informed him he’d normally miss a significant amount of time with the injury.

“They told me this is a four-to-six-week IL stint,” Freeman said, according to ESPN’s Alden González. “And I’m going to try to do this in a week and play.”

He added it’s the worst injury he’s ever tried to play through, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Freeman sustained the injury late in the Dodgers’ final regular-season home game when he tried to avoid a tag at first base. He limped off the field under his own power but was seen on crutches and in a walking boot when the team celebrated the division title a few minutes later.

X-rays on the ankle returned negative, and the Dodgers were quick to say that Freeman would likely be available for the playoffs. However, he sat out their final regular-season series as a precaution.

On Friday, Freeman worked out at Dodger Stadium, where he took ground balls at first base and ran the bases. The 35-year-old tested the ankle while fielding by pushing hard on his right foot and declared it to be “good enough,” per González. He also said that the swelling has gone down “a lot” over the last week.

Before Freeman revealed that he’d play Saturday, manager Dave Roberts remained cautiously optimistic about his availability.

“It was a good step forward,” Roberts said of Friday’s workout, per ASAP Sports. “He’s working down below with some arms down there. He took some live at-bats. He’ll go through his full workout today.

“So I’m hopeful – I’m expecting him to be in the lineup. What that looks like, I guess we’ll know when we see him out there. But with Freddie, I don’t doubt that he’ll be ready to go.”

Freeman turned in another quality season for the Dodgers despite missing time because of ankle and finger injuries as well as a family issue. The former NL MVP hit .282/.378/.476 with 22 homers, 89 RBIs, and nine steals over 147 games while earning his eighth All-Star berth.

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