Dodgers win Tokyo Series opener but come away with new Freddie Freeman injury concern

The Dodgers were without two of their biggest stars on Opening Day in Tokyo — Mookie Betts was confirmed as a sit-out on Monday, as he's dealing with a stomach virus, but Freddie Freeman was removed from the lineup mere minutes before the Dodgers and Cubs took the field at the Tokyo Dome, with the Dodgers citing "left rib discomfort."

That immediately raised red flags, given Freeman's injury to that same area late last season. He played in multiple spring training games before the team headed out to Tokyo and looked fine (maybe even better than fine; he had three homers and six RBI), but he noticed a twinge during pregame batting practice, and the Dodgers benched him to be safe.

Of course, Dave Roberts was immediately hit by questions about Freeman's health after the Dodgers' 4-1 victory over the Cubs. He confirmed that the issue was in the same place as his previous injury, but was "not as severe," and that he wasn't overly concerned about it.

Freeman also said he felt that there was a "75% chance" he would play in the second game on Wednesday, but would tread lightly and play it safe if he was still feeling out of sorts.

Dave Roberts explains Freddie Freeman's injury after last-second Dodgers vs. Cubs scratch

The Dodgers still won the opener, led by a strong start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto (five innings, one earned run, four Ks) and a three-run rally from the offense in the fifth (after being no-hit by Shōta Imanaga through four), but Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández were moved to second and third in the lineup, while Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas made the starts at first and shortstop, respectively.

The reassuring thing about Betts' issue is that it's definitely going to be temporary, but it's not exactly promising that Freeman has already had to sit out with what could become a recurring injury. The Dodgers have already lost multiple pitchers to injury — Michael Grove underwent a shoulder surgery, Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech are dealing with leftover issues from last season — and while they do have a good amount of depth, being without Freeman for any stretch of time isn't ideal.

Hopefully, he'll be in Wednesday's lineup and this will be a blip. Even if the Dodgers do have guys who can reliably fill in, everyone wants to see Freeman back on the field and doing his thing.