Freddie Freeman’s postseason ankle injury might actually be what saves his season

Freddie Freeman, while still putting up All-Star caliber numbers for the season, hasn't exactly looked like himself during the past couple of months. After a hot start to the year that carried through April and saw him hit better than .400 during the month of May, a June slump saw his batting average plummet to .200 – and July hasn't been much better.

Freeman's slump doesn't appear to be related to any of his recent injury struggles (of which he has had plenty). However, the solution to his problems may actually lie in the ankle injury that ailed him during the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series run last year.

Freddie Freeman’s postseason ankle injury might actually be what saves his season

Freeman told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, that he recently had an epiphany while looking at a photo of himself standing in the batter's box during the 2024 postseason. Upon looking at the photo, he noticed that he was more "in" his right ankle – the same ankle that was injured before the start of the postseason.

That approach, Freeman said, was taken in order to ensure that his ankle was strong enough to withstand his bodyweight. However, he noted that it also served as a helpful timing mechanism that might be able to assist him in fixing his swing.

"It's helping me be on time and on top," Freeman said on Monday (via Gonzalez). "I could hit 42 mph BP today. We'll see how it goes in the game."

Freeman struck out and recorded just one hit in four at-bats in the Dodgers' 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins later that night, but the hit was a double that traveled 105 mph. Since then, he's added three more hits and a pair of RBI in his next two games, including a walk-off liner.

Only time will tell whether Freeman's adjustment leads to a long-term fix. But if the Dodgers have any hope of replicating last year's success (or even coming close to it) and defending their World Series title, they are going to need Freeman to be at full strength.

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