Overview
- The Dodgers sat Freeman for two straight games because of right-knee soreness and travel-related turf concerns, a precaution the club described before Friday’s game.
- Freeman returned to the starting lineup on Saturday and identified the problem as patellar tendinitis, saying he felt "night and day" better compared with earlier in the week.
- Los Angeles ruled out an injured-list stint and will manage Freeman’s playing time in the final weeks, planning occasional days off to protect him with the playoff race approaching.
- Coaches and reporters linked the knee issue to a brief early-September slump in which Freeman went 3-for-22, saying the soreness compromised his front-side mechanics and increased swing-and-miss.
- Freeman, who returned on his 37th birthday, still has a strong season line (.297/.375/.453, 16 HR, 66 RBIs through 140 games) and remains central to the Dodgers’ push to close out the division.