SAN DIEGO – Freddie Freeman still aims to be activated from the disabled list during the Braves’ July 6-9 series at Washington, but now there’s a chance he will wait to come back a week later after the All-Star break.
The Braves slugger, who is coming back well ahead of schedule from a May 17 left-wrist fracture, on Thursday explained a slight change in the injury-rehab plan announced a day earlier. He still will start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett in a Saturday game at Charlotte, then take Sunday off and play Monday at Charlotte and Tuesday at Gwinnett.
But instead of being set to play a third consecutive game Wednesday at Gwinnett, Freeman said Braves doctors have advised him to rest that day if there is any soreness after his first back-to-back games.
He also was in agreement with the medical staff to wait to be activated during the July 14-19 homestand against the Diamondbacks and Cubs after the All-Star break if he has any soreness or just doesn’t feel he’s ready after playing three or four minor league rehab games.
“Still doing Saturday and Monday and Tuesday, but if I feel any soreness I won’t come back before the All-Star break,” said Freeman, who was set to take a redeye flight back to Atlanta after the Braves’ series finale Thursday at San Diego, where he took batting practice again with the team. “But if I feel nothing and I progress, they still might give me Thursday off.
“If I have no soreness after Monday and Tuesday, I’ll play Wednesday, but they might give me Thursday off and I’ll play Friday, Saturday and Sunday (at Washington) — if I can catch up (to pitches), if I feel like my timing’s there.”
Freeman said felt no soreness Thursday, a day after taking his first on-field batting practice since the injury. But he will wait to see if he’s ready after facing live pitching in minor league games and, just as importantly, how the big first baseman feels playing third base in games for the first time in a decade since he played five games at the position during rookie ball. He’s been working out at third base for a little over a week and will play the position on his rehab assignment.
A former high school third baseman, Freeman first mentioned to Braves officials nearly three weeks ago the possibility of moving to third base in order to keep his hot-hitting first-base replacement Matt Adams in the lineup when Freeman returns. He brought it up again last week and told team officials he wanted to do it, and while there was some apprehension on their part, Braves officials agreed to let him try at least on a temporary basis.
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.
The only question is whether his official major league third-base debut comes against the Nationals next week or at home after the break. If Freeman feels like he needs more rehab games to get his timing down at the plate or get more comfortable at third base, he would play more minor league games and come off the DL after the break.
“It’s just how I feel, really, which I think I’ll feel fine (physically),” he said. “I feel like it’ll be more baseball stuff — if I’m making errors all over the place or not hitting, then probably just go play more rehab games and come back (after break).”
