The Los Angeles Dodgers will have their All-Star first baseman back in the lineup as they open the World Series against the New York Yankees on Friday night.
Freddie Freeman is batting third and playing first for the Dodgers in Game 1 after missing Game 6 of the NLCS due to a sprained ankle.
The 35-year-old has been dealing with the effects of the ankle injury throughout the post-season, missing two games in the championship series against the New York Mets and one contest in the division series against the San Diego Padres.
“I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind that I will be in the lineup for Game 1,” Freeman told reporters on Tuesday.
The sprained ankle, which Freeman said would usually be “a four-to-six week IL stint” and is the worst injury he’s ever tried to play through, has clearly limited the former MVP in these playoffs.
Freeman has just a .461 OPS in eight post-season games this October, down from the .854 mark he posted in the regular season.
However, Freeman has had success against Yankees Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole in the past. The left-handed hitter has gone 7-for-20 with three doubles and one home run in his career against the reigning AL Cy Young winner.
His presence in the Dodgers’ lineup completes their MVP trio, with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts hitting first and second, and will give Los Angeles four left-handed hitters against the right-handed Cole.