Freddie Freeman avoids serious injury after scary dugout fall as Dodgers sweep Royals

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman gave fans a real scare on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. While chasing a foul ball, he tumbled down the visiting dugout steps. The good news is that the veteran star appears to have avoided any serious injury in the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

The scary moment near the dugout

With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Royals hitter Isaac Collins lifted a fly ball into foul territory. Freeman tracked it carefully toward the edge of the field near the visitors’ dugout. He planned to lean over the rail and make the catch.

Instead, the ground simply vanished. “Obviously there was no rail,” a sore but apparently not seriously injured Freeman said after the game.

He pitched sideways, nearly clearing the first set of steps before landing hard on the second flight. Freeman braced himself on his right side, which absorbed most of the impact. The angle of the steps kept him from hitting his head.

Trainers and players from both teams rushed over. Freeman was slow to rise but eventually got back on his feet and stayed in the field to finish the half-inning.

Freddie Freeman’s condition and quick recovery steps

Once the adrenaline faded, the aches set in. “Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” Freeman said. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play .”

He finished the defensive half but signalled that he might need a pinch-hitter for his turn at bat in the bottom of the eighth. Utility man Tommy Edman stepped in for him. Kike Hernandez took over at first base in the ninth.

Head athletic trainer Thomas Albert checked on him and asked if any imaging was needed. “I said, ‘Do you want to do a whole-body X-ray?’” Freeman recounted. “And he was like, ‘We can.’ But no, I’m OK.”

No scans were performed. Freeman reported total body soreness but nothing that pointed to a major issue.

Manager’s take and outlook for the series

Manager Dave Roberts called Freddie Freeman’s status “day to day.” He already planned to rest the first baseman on Friday, the second game of a four-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I think that we really dodged the bullet,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Royals with the victory and now turn their attention to a tough matchup with the Brewers.