Freddie Freeman suffers freak injury and is pulled from Dodgers lineup on Monday

The Los Angeles Dodgers might be 5-0, but they've dealt with a lot of concerns in the early going. Mookie Betts, though he's fine now, missed a lot of time with a mysterious virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds. They have eight pitchers on the injured list. They don't know when Shohei Ohtani will pitch this year.

But that hasn't stopped them from cruising to a fast start. However, a concerning injury update on Monday might finally begin to slow them.

Freddie Freeman injured himself in the shower and is listed as day to day. He "tweaked" his surgically-repaired ankle and will not be in Monday's lineup. Manager Dave Roberts didn't provide much information beyond that, though he did say he feels confident Freeman can play and that the team just wanted to be cautious.

Kiké Hernandez will handle first base duties against the Atlanta Braves, who just suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres over the weekend. With how quiet Atlanta's bats were, right now, Freeman missing a game hardly feels like an issue.

It's the possible longer-term effects that are a concern here. Freeman played injured on that ankle throughout the postseason to a concerning degree and then needed surgery in order to be healthy for 2025.

Dodgers News: Freddie Freeman out of lineup after suffering freak injury

Don't forget, Freeman missed the Tokyo Series due to rib discomfort, so there's been another nagging ailment holding him back in the early going. He returned to face the Detroit Tigers in LA and belted two homers and four RBI in the series sweep, but now can't seem to find consistent playing time at the onset of the campaign.

Again, the Dodgers built a behemoth of a roster to absorb these types of problems for the grind of a 162-game season, but many would agree Freeman is arguably their most important player in regard to what he offers offensively, defensively and off the field. Ohtani and Betts might be the bigger household names and "stars", but Freeman is a commensurate leader and delivers in the clutch like no other.

The Dodgers are smart to let him rest. Stay tuned for updates and hopefully he's back belting homers over the Dodger Stadium fence as early as Tuesday night.