LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman feared the worst when he took an 88 mph sinker to his left wrist Sunday — eight years ago, he fractured that same wrist on a hit by pitch and wound up missing seven weeks.
But follow-up X-rays came back negative. Swelling quickly subsided. The next day, Freeman was right back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup and taking on-field batting practice.
He came out of that session believing he might have finally fixed his swing.
“I finally saw something that helped me click today in my work,” Freeman said before Monday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins. “I wish baseball was more of a guarantee, but I’m very happy with my work heading into the game.”
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Freeman surged through April and May but had struggled ever since, entering the week with a .199/.275/.298 slash line after the start of June. His slump had coincided with an even longer one from Mookie Betts, as well as recent struggles from the likes of Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez, prompting the Dodgers — without Max Muncy, who’s nursing a knee injury — to lose 10 of 12 games.
But an epiphany arrived Sunday night, after the Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a side picture of Freeman in the batter’s box during last year’s World Series. He noticed he was more into his right ankle then, the same one he injured right before the start of that postseason. The approach was a function of making sure the ankle was strong enough to withstand his weight, but it had also functioned as a useful timing mechanism.
Freeman barely slept that night thinking about what the changes could mean for his swing. He got a call from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at about 10 a.m., told him his wrist felt good enough to play, then came onto the field to test out his new swing roughly six hours later.
“It’s helping me be on time and on top,” said Freeman, who usually takes pregame swings in the indoor batting cages. “I could hit 42 mph BP today. We’ll see how it goes in the game.”
Freeman finished 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout. The Dodgers beat the Twins 5-2.
Also on Monday, the Dodgers recalled pitcher Edgardo Henriquez and designated reliever Lou Trivino for assignment.
Henriquez is 1-0 with a 5.89 ERA in 18 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Trivino gave up two runs in one-third of an inning on Sunday and took the loss against the Brewers. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed 11 runs in 26⅓ innings over 26 appearances this season.
