Freddie Freeman Makes Swing Adjustment While Managing Knee Soreness

Freddie Freeman is searching for a swing that can help him remain productive while his right knee is less than 100 percent.

A small adjustment produced encouraging results Tuesday night.

Freeman recorded three singles in five at-bats during the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, breaking out of a prolonged slump while continuing to manage patellar tendinitis in his right knee.

He entered the game with only three hits in his previous 30 at-bats.

Freeman matched that total in one night.

Freeman Simplified His Timing At The Plate

Freeman’s adjustment focused on getting his front foot down earlier and making contact farther in front of the plate.

“So today was foot down early, catch the ball out front a little bit, and it kind of worked,” Freeman said after the victory.

The change was designed to simplify his timing and reduce the amount of work his lower body needed to perform before the ball reached the hitting zone.

Freeman did not consistently square up the baseball with authority, but the results were a clear improvement. He avoided a strikeout, reached safely three times and raised his season batting average to .296.

For a hitter who had been struggling to find a comfortable swing while dealing with knee soreness, simply producing consistent contact represented progress.

Knee Soreness Has Complicated Freeman’s Slump

Freeman’s offensive struggles have coincided with the discomfort in his right knee.

He described the issue as patellar tendinitis and said the knee felt significantly better after receiving several days of rest. The Dodgers have continued managing his workload, occasionally using him at designated hitter or leaving him out of the lineup entirely.

Freeman sat Monday in Cincinnati after going hitless in eight at-bats during the weekend series in Miami.

Roberts has acknowledged that Freeman had not looked like himself offensively or defensively while trying to play through the injury. An injured-list stint has not been considered necessary, but his availability remains something the Dodgers must evaluate daily.

Tuesday’s performance offered the first indication that Freeman may have found a way to compensate at the plate.

That does not mean the underlying knee issue has disappeared.

Freeman Knows The Adjustment May Be Temporary

Freeman acknowledged that getting his foot down early and catching the ball farther out front may not become his permanent swing.

It is an adjustment intended to help him compete through the remaining weeks of the season.

That approach comes with tradeoffs. Starting the swing process earlier can leave a hitter more vulnerable to off-speed pitches, particularly if pitchers recognize the change and begin disrupting his timing.

Freeman has enough experience to make additional adjustments as opposing pitchers respond. For now, he is looking for something that allows him to produce while the knee continues improving.

The three-hit performance provided a reason to stay with it.

Freeman Talks His Way Into Wednesday’s Lineup

Freeman had been scheduled to receive another day of rest Wednesday, but he convinced Roberts to let him remain in the lineup following Tuesday’s performance.

He will start at first base and bat second against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott.

The decision reflects Freeman’s desire to build on the adjustment rather than interrupt whatever timing he rediscovered Tuesday. It also gives the Dodgers another opportunity to evaluate how his knee responds on consecutive days.

There is still an element of risk in asking Freeman to play through discomfort this close to October. The Dodgers need his bat in the postseason, and maintaining Tuesday’s momentum will mean little if his knee worsens.

At the same time, Freeman needs enough at-bats to determine whether his altered approach can hold up against different pitchers.

Tuesday did not prove that his slump is over or that the knee is no longer affecting him.

It showed that Freeman remains capable of adjusting.

With October approaching, the Dodgers must now balance Freeman’s need to find a workable swing with the larger priority of keeping his knee from becoming a more significant problem.