Cody Snavely
GOODYEAR, ARZ — While the Los Angeles Dodgers continue Cactus League play today with their afternoon matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave us updates on 2024 World Series Most Valuable Player Freddie Freeman, all-star Will Smith and right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller.
Starting with Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman has been absent from Cactus League play as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgery. He famously played through it during the Dodgers’ postseason run en route to the franchise’s eighth World Series Championship.
As a result, Freeman started his baseball program later than usual, including basic fundamentals like running. Shortly before the Dodgers broke camp in Glendale, Arizona, Freeman had just begun swinging a bat and playing defense.
Freeman updated the media himself over a week ago, stating that he had begun running on an anti-gravity treadmill, per Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic.
“I am perfectly on track for that,” Freeman said. “We’ll get a better sense when I’m not in an inflated bubble helping me run, but probably middle of next week by the end of the next week I’ll have a really good sense of how I’m feeling.”
However, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, today we will finally see Freeman in action at Thursday’s game against the Rockies. However, it is to be determined if it is at first base or designated hitter.
Dodgers all-star catcher Will Smith, who is also dealing with an ankle injury, is set to rejoin the Dodgers lineup this week. Smith came into camp dealing with a sore ankle that prevented him from swinging, but he was able to catch multiple bullpen sessions.
Both Smith and Freeman were full participants in the Dodgers’ backfields today, including on the field and in the batter’s box, where they were seen taking live at-bats. Both are expected to rejoin the team on Thursday.
Lastly, young right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller is set to resume his throwing program after missing the last several days due to his placement in concussion protocol after taking a 106mph line drive to the forehead in Game One of Cactus League play.
Thankfully, Miller suffered no significant damage and was in good spirits despite the situation. Miller stated his concussion symptoms had gone away and after spending time in Ammortal recovery chamber including red light treatment and headache went away.
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