Dodgers Preview 2026: First Base

CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ — We continue our tour around the diamond today with another position that SHOULD be locked down for the entire year: first base. In the past, Freddie Freeman has prided himself on posting every day, and if he had anything to say about it, he would. However, there have been some interruptions to those plans the last couple of seasons, so let’s take a look at this position and try to figure out where we stand going into 2026.

Freddie Freeman (2025: .295 AVG, 24 HR, 90 RBI .869 OPS)

Freddie Freeman doesn’t have to play another snap and he’s entered the pantheon of Dodger greats. Anybody who hits walk-off homers in the World Series in back-to-back years has earned that. And on paper, the numbers from last year are what you expect from Freddie Freeman. Freeman’s tenure in Dodger blue has been nothing short of spectacular.

In fact the numbers he’s managed to put up in LA are even better than his great run in Atlanta. It’s a smaller sample size to be sure but his 151 OPS+ in a Dodger uniform easily beats his 138 mark as a Brave. And his slash line is similarly better: .310/.391/.516 in Los Angeles versus .295/.384/.509 in Atlanta. Grabbing Freeman off the free agent market when Atlanta wasn’t willing to shell out the dough for its homegrown superstar has been among the best moves Andrew Friedman has ever made.

You don’t truly appreciate Freddie Freeman until you watch the dude play every day. Ohtani’s got more pop and Mookie’s got more flash, but for my money, Freddie Freeman is the MVP of this recent Dodger ascent to greatness. Why? Consistency. I’ve never seen a guy be so good so often. He’s certainly headed for Cooperstown. The only questions that remain are will he have 3,000 hits when he gets there, and which hat will be on the plaque. (I’m hoping Dodgers, but I’m not banking on it)

However, there are a few things that give us a little pause.

First, there is the “age thing.” Freddie Freeman will be 37 by the time October rolls around this year. This is the fifth year of his six-year deal with the Dodgers. We like to think that our heroes never age, but we just saw Clayton Kershaw (just one year older) ride off into the sunset. There will be a day in the not-too-distant future on which Freddie will try to post and his body will say, “Not Today.” He said he’d like to play until he hits 40 and get those 3,000 hits, and I hope he makes it, but already there are some signs that it might be a diminished Freddie from here on out.

Then, there were the injuries. There was the horrible ankle injury sustained while running to first in late 2024 that kept him to a reduced role until the World Series and his MVP performance. Then, last year, there was the bathroom mishap in April, the wrist injury after a HBP in July, and the neck stinger in August. All stuff that limited the usually reliable Freeman to just 147 games last year.

Finally, there was the slump. Though his numbers were solid by the end of the year, there were long patches last year in which he just didn’t look right. After a blazing start, his batting average stood at .374 at the end of May. Then came a June swoon like no other. He hit .200 for the month, and had many more strikeouts than we’re used to seeing from a steady contact hitter like Freeman. He was able to right the ship and finish the season strong, but any of us who watched him go through it could see he was struggling.

An extended slump in 2026 could be a sign that the end is near. He’ll still play and post and be a great ambassador for the game. But whether or not he’s still elite… is an open question.

Dalton Rushing (2025: .204 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI, .582 OPS)

Mainly a catcher, Rushing is listed second on the Dodgers depth chart at first. He played 28 innings at the position last year, and acquitted himself rather well. However, we all know that if we see a lot of Dalton Rushing at first this season, something’s gone terribly wrong. Rushing has expressed a willingness to play anywhere, which is good. But so far, he’s not made that strong of a case for extra playing time. Those offensive numbers are okay for a rookie, but really need to come up if he expects to work his way into the lineup more often. For now, I see him as the guy giving Will Smith a break on a day game after a night game a couple of times a month, and then maybe covering first if there’s a blowout game or if Freddie needs a day off somewhere. Beyond that, not feeling that optimistic about his prospects.

Kiké Hernández (2025: .203 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI, .621 OPS)

Kiké Hernández is another “break glass in case of emergency” option at first base. He’s played it a bit before, appearing in 28 games at the position last year (mostly mop-up duty or covering for Freeman’s injury). His versatility probably makes him more valuable in other spots on the field, but in a pinch, he can man the position. Of course, it’ll be a while before we see Kiké anywhere on the field as he comes into camp still injured. The elbow will need some time to heal, but I’d imagine that we’ll see him back around the All-Star game.

So with the Hernández injury and the lack of offense from Rushing, it gets pretty thin pretty fast at first base. Which is why a healthy and productive Freddie Freeman is so critical to the Dodgers’ plans this season. Hopefully, Fab Five Freddie can hold off Father Time for a couple more seasons. We need it.

DODGERSBEAT GRADE: A-

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