Freddie Freeman brushes off aging concerns despite Dodgers’ plan for rest days

Freddie Freeman operates from all angles when it comes to addressing questions about his durability.

On one hand, Freeman, well aware of his 36 years, has exemplified humility in discussing his inevitable decline (and uncertain future with the Los Angeles Dodgers past 2027).

On the other hand, Freeman hasn't been shy about expressing his desire to play multiple more years with LA, and in the present moment, play virtually every day.

The Dodgers might have an aging roster, but their veterans possess an ironclad pride about showing up to work every single day, with Freeman, along with 33-year-old Mookie Betts, being the banner-wavers of that philosophy for LA.

Freddie Freeman feels like he can play every day for Dodgers

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, in a new piece discussing the Dodgers, revealed that Freeman is "adamant about playing every day." Freeman told Gonzalez that he's planning to play 159 games in 2026, accounting for two games he'll miss around the birth of his fourth child, and one game that he'll miss (per tradition) after the Dodgers clinch the division.

A few hours after Gonzalez's piece went live, Freeman hit an absolute no-doubter, 391-foot home run off Miles Mikolas that would have been gone in 30 out of 30 MLB ballparks. Yeah, Freddie's still got it.

Freeman's ability to dominate one at-bat remains intact. We saw this in last year's postseason, and it's still here in 2026. That ability won't determine how often Freeman plays this coming season, however. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made clear to Gonzalez that LA will be constantly monitoring Freeman to determine the best course of action.

The goal isn't for Freeman to play 162 (or, in Freddie's case, 159); the goal is for Freeman to be as healthy as possible in October. In fact, the same can be said about Betts, as well as 35-year-old Max Muncy and 37-year-old Miguel Rojas.

While Freeman, Betts, and others might harbor the passion and desire to play every single day, it'll ultimately be up to LA's monitoring process to determine whether they do. "So much of that is going to show itself in terms of how guys are moving, whether they're going to be able to stay in their legs when they're hitting," Friedman said of the process, per Gonzalez. "There are so many things that present themselves that will give us a much better sense of how aggressive we want to be in that."

The Dodgers have developed an in-house, secretive science for preserving their players' bodies throughout the regular season. They've applied this methodology to their starting pitchers, as well. It's a process that's undoubtedly contributed to LA staying elite despite boasting the league's oldest roster. Off days are part of that. Keeping pitchers out longer than "necessary" (according to other clubs' standard) is part of it, too.

The next phase in Freeman's career will be to embrace his off days this summer as a prologue to a healthy fall. Even though Freeman doesn't feel like he's 36, Father Time comes for every athlete.