Freddie Freeman's wife provides update on son Max as Dodgers fans show support

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman's sudden departure from the team last Friday left many fans concerned about him and his family as his three-year-old son, Maximus, had been hospitalized with a rare neurological condition.

Maximus is battling a severe case of Guillan-Barré syndrome, a serious condition that causes the body's immune system to attack the nervous system. In a social media post Thursday, Freeman's wife, Chelsea, provided a health update on the couple's youngest son, who had declined into full-body paralysis and could no longer breathe on his own. He had his lungs reinforced at the hospital, where he will remain for the duration of his recovery. Chelsea added that Maximus had made significant improvements over the previous 48 hours, including being excavated from his breathing tube and taken off a ventilator.

"These have been the hardest and scariest days of our lives," Chelsea said in the post. "Maximus is such a special boy and he has been fighting SO hard. This is going to be a journey to recover, but we have faith that he will be completely healed."

In a previous Instagram story, Chelsea had said that Maximus was hospitalized earlier that week and had been suffering from symptoms since the All-Star break. She added that Freeman had met the family at the hospital after the Dodgers' 8-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants last Wednesday and spent the night in the emergency room with them.

Dodgers give no timetable for Freddie Freeman's return as he remains on emergency family leave

While Chelsea's update on Maximus indicates that he is on the road to recovery, no timetable has been set for Freeman's return to the Dodgers, as he continues to be with his family. The Dodgers open a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Friday, and it seems unlikely that he will rejoin the team before they return home to Los Angeles to open their next series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.

"To be quite honest, I haven't even broached the subject of him coming back," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week (via Jack Harris of the LA Times). "I just don't feel it's right."

An eight-time All-Star, Freeman is hitting .288 with 16 homers, 67 RBI and a .888 OPS. Cavan Biggio and Kiké Hernández have both seen time at first base for the Dodgers in Freeman’s absence. Catcher Hunter Feduccia was also re-called Saturday and made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter, but was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City Thursday to make room for newly-acquired outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.

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