Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman and World Series MVP Freddie Freeman underwent surgery on Thursday to address the badly sprained right ankle that hampered him throughout the postseason, the club said.
He is expected to be able to participate in baseball activities in spring training, the team added. Dr. Kenneth Jung performed the procedure.
Freeman underwent a debridement and had loose bodies removed from his ankle, which he initially injured in September on the night the Dodgers clinched the NL West. Freeman missed the final three games of the regular season but returned in time for Game 1 of the National League Division Series despite clearly not being 100 percent. He played through the injury — along with damage to his ribs he suffered during the ramp-up of the postseason — throughout October, including during a torrid World Series stretch that saw him hit a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 (the first in World Series history) and earn MVP honors.
Hear ALL the amazing calls of Freddie Freeman’s historic grand slam that ended Game 1 of the #WorldSeries 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/1pbV4ox2ON
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2024
Each day, he rode to the ballpark driven by his father, Fred, to receive hours of treatment just to get on the field.
“I was driving him in and staying for six hours and watching him get pushed on and prodded. And for a week doing that, it was beyond what any two weeks should do,” Fred Freeman said after the World Series. “He’s tougher than I am, that’s for sure. ‘Cause I don’t know any other person who could have done that. Maybe Shohei (Ohtani).”
Freeman became the first player ever to hit a home run in each of the first four games of a single World Series and matched a World Series record with 12 runs batted in. It etched him permanently into Dodgers franchise lore and helped him win his second title — he was part of the Atlanta Braves team that vanquished the Dodgers as part of their championship run in 2021.
The 35-year-old former MVP endured one of the most difficult seasons of his career in 2024, missing time midseason when his youngest son, Maximus, was temporarily paralyzed due to complications from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. He remained productive when on the field nonetheless, putting together an .854 OPS in 147 games.
(Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
