After playing like a guy on his last limb in the postseason, it became clear that Freddie Freeman’s elbow was a legitimate concern. There is a good chance he should not have been playing at all, and Jeff Schultz even did a piece yesterday talking about the lengths he had to go through just to finish out the season:
He took shots. He took pills — two before almost every game for six weeks. Do the math. He said he thought he could get by “with adrenaline and the pain pills.”
Freeman simply was no longer effective in the Cardinals’ series. It was obvious and was a huge blow to a Braves team that relies on his bat. Fans should not be mad at Freddie. The team really does not have a serviceable backup at first base and he was trying to give the team the best chance possible to win. The concern is the long-term effects of the injury.
In October, Freeman had arthroscopic surgery on the elbow to address two bone spurs and three bone fragments. As of last month, he was reportedly pain-free. However, it seems it has flared up once again. Today, he was scratched from the Braves’ starting lineup:
#Braves have scratched Freddie Freeman from today’s lineup as a precaution with right elbow inflammation. Yonder Alonso will start at first base.
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) February 25, 2020
As the Tweet says, this is a precaution. But it is not a good sign for the Braves superstar with 162+ games yet to be played. Perhaps his elbow is simply getting used to ramping up his workload, but it could be a down year for Freeman if this becomes an extended issue, and could ultimately affect the Braves’ plans to potentially extend him as well if it lingers.
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