Dodgers Freddie Freeman may sit out NLCS Game 6 due to ankle sprain

After the Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to the New York Mets, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the following about his first baseman Freddie Freeman: “His swing is off,” as reported by Jeff Passan for ESPN. Roberts was probably referring to Freeman’s swing with the baseball bat and not any other type of swing. And the fact that Freeman’s swing is not good is probably because his right ankle is not good. Freeman suffered a serious ankle sprain on September 26 and it can take six to 12 weeks to recover from such an injury.

So Roberts now thinks it might not be right for Freeman to play in Game 6 of the NLCS with the Dodgers leading three games to two. Freeman, 35, hasn’t really been on top of things for most of this series. He missed Game 4 of the NLCS. And it was kind of a “Citi” situation for Freeman and the Dodgers during Game 5 at the Mets’ Citi Field. Freeman failed to reach any bases for five at-bats and struck out twice in Friday’s 12-6 loss to the Dodgers. That makes him one for his last 15 plate appearances, which isn’t exactly good for someone who has been an eight-time All-Star and NL MVP.

An ankle sprain is when you stretch or tear one of the ligaments that stabilizes your ankle. A ligament is a band of fibrous tissue that connects one bone in a joint to another to prevent that joint from rocking. An ankle sprain usually occurs because you have turned your ankle too far or suddenly (that is, turned inward). Doing so can place too much pressure on the anterior talofibular (ATFL) and calcaneofibular (CFL) ligaments that run along the outside of your ankle. Much less common are sprains of the deltoid ligament that runs along the inside of your ankle. That’s because it’s harder to turn your ankle outward, which means you’re turning your foot outward too far.

Freeman’s sprain would probably qualify as grade 2: a partial tear of one of the ligaments. That would be worse than grade 1 tears, because that’s how grades work. A grade 1 tear is no more than a mild stretching and microscopic tearing of the ligament and would result in no more than mild tenderness, bruising and swelling and no pain with weight bearing and no real instability of the ankle.

A grade 2 sprain would result in some ankle instability, unlike a grade 3 sprain, which would result in significant instability. A grade 3 sprain is a complete tear of the ligament. That would cause severe pain if you stand on your ankle.

Freeman likely suffered a low ankle sprain instead of a high one. To call an ankle sprain low is not to judge its moral character. It is low because it occurred in the lower part of your ankle.

Freeman is also likely in Phase 3 of the three phases of treatment for low ankle sprains established by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons on its website:

• Phase 1: This is when you keep your ankle immobilized and use rest and ice to reduce swelling. However, don’t go completely without weight because you don’t want your leg muscles to atrophy and shrink. It’s okay to put as much weight on the ankle as can be tolerated. The initial swelling and pain of stage 1 will usually last 2 to 3 days.
• Phase 2: This is where you start active rehabilitation of the ankle. This includes movements to increase your ankle’s range of motion, isometric exercises to strengthen the muscles around the ankle, and balance training to get your proprioception back into shape. Don’t keep your ankle immobilized here. Otherwise it may become stiff for you.
• Phase 3: This means steadily increasing your rehabilitation efforts and gradually returning to full activities, like, you know, trying to get the Dodgers to the World Series. Naturally, you will want to forego the ankle cutting activities at first, but then slowly incorporate them back into your routine.

If the sprain is minor, the entire process mentioned above can take less than two weeks. However, more severe sprains, like the one Freeman suffered, typically take six to 12 weeks to go through all three stages. Low ankle sprains – even many grade 3 sprains – usually do not require surgery. Surgery is only necessary if non-surgical treatment has not worked or if there are additional injuries, such as damage to the cartilage of your ankle, a tendon rupture, or if your foot looks like it is going to fall off your leg.

If you have sprained your ankle and return to full activity too quickly without giving the ankle enough time to heal, there is a concern that you will further tear the ankle ligament. This can turn an acute ankle sprain into a chronic ankle sprain, leaving your ankle unstable and putting you at risk of damaging your underlying cartilage and bones. So if you’re not Freddie Freeman, it’s best to take your time to fully recover before trying the whole baseball thing. However, Freeman is in a different situation as the Dodgers try to reach and win the World Series. Of course, the Dodgers have other big stars like Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. And you can bet these two will show up to fill as much of the void left as possible when Freeman plays our Game 6.