Dodgers fans wondering why Freddie Freeman injury situation is being treated differently than Shohei Ohtani

If you just looked at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record in 2026, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if you assumed that everything has been going their way this season. Buta midseason injury to Shohei Ohtani put a serious dent in the team’s forward momentum. And now Freddie Freeman’s ailing knee could slow down the Dodgers even more. But if you asked a growing portion of the Dodgers fanbase, they’d tell you that these two injuries haven’t been handled the same way. 

As noted by Chad Moriyama of Dodgers Digest, it appears that Freeman is getting a pass from criticism regarding his recent injury-related struggles at the plate. Through the end of June, Freeman was having a tremendous season at the plate. He was hitting for both a high batting average and high slugging percentage. In fact, Freeman had a season-high .973 OPS in the month of June. While he continued to hit for a high batting average in July and August, he hit just two home runs in over 200 at-bats in those months. 

Since the start of September, his entire offensive game has taken a complete nose dive. Freeman has just three hits in 30 at-bats in September. He finally snapped his prolonged homer-less streak in a September 2 matchup against the St.Louis Cardinals, going nearly two full months since last going yard.

There's no question that Freeman had still been an effective hitter throughout the season, even if his power had seemingly vanished overnight. With news that he has been dealing with patellar tendinitis in his right knee in recent weeks, there are some parallels to the injury situation with Ohtani. However, Freeman has been given a number of off-days to recoup from his sore knee. Something that the Dodgers chose not to do with their best player.

Have the Dodgers learned anything from the Shohei Ohtani injury debacle? 

When the Dodgers first revealed that Ohtani was dealing with inflammation in his knee way back in June, fans had a right to be a little concerned. There was just no reason to hit the panic button though.

Ohtani still continued to play through what was considered to be a minor injury and he looked to be doing just fine, especially by his standards. At the plate, Ohtani posted a 1.091 OPS in June. Pitching wise, he looked good but not great in four June starts. But again, there weren’t any alarming signs of serious injury.    

Obviously we now know that Ohtani was battling through more pain than what was initially reported. After a single start in early July, Ohtani was shut down from pitching and given an injection in his knee during the All-Star break.

Despite attempting to ramp up his throwing program over the last few months, Ohtani was never able to get comfortable enough to pitch. There have since been ongoing discussions on whether or not that attempt to return to the mound impacted his overall recovery and his ability to swing the bat.   

There will be plenty of time for speculation in the off-season, but fans want answers now. Did the Dodgers continue to push Ohtani to return to the mound in order to protect their $700 million investment? Or did they simply trust their franchise player regarding his own body? Regardless of the truth, you can't help but wonder where both parties would be right now if the Dodgers took a hardline approach to ensuring Ohtani’s health back in July. 

As the best player on the planet, anything below MVP-level play will be seen as a disappointment from Ohtani. That just comes with the territory. He’s the current and future face of the franchise. That’s also why the fumbling of his injury and his drop in production will be more harshly analyzed.  

For a first baseman who just turned 37, there will be less uproar. This is no knock on a potential Hall of Famer like Freeman. The Dodgers have already gotten as much value from him as they could have hoped for when they signed him.

Regardless of their medical blunders this season, the Dodgers have a chance to use the last two weeks of September as a much-needed recharging period. If they wish to make yet another deep postseason run, they will need both Ohtani and Freeman.   

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