Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Out of Lineup For Second Straight Day

Freddie Freeman will not be in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting lineup for a second consecutive night as he rests a fractured middle finger on his right hand.

Gavin Lux will hit third against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night and Kiké Hernandez will get another start at first base.

The Dodgers have not placed Freeman on the injured list.

Hernández is getting the start at first base for just the third time this season, and batting ninth. Teoscar Hernández moves to fourth after hitting third on Tuesday night.

Freeman, 34, is hitting .284 this season with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs. His .382 on-base percentage leads the Dodgers and ranks second in the National League this season. His .475 slugging percentage gives him an .856 OPS (141 OPS+).

An All-Star in July, Freeman missed eight games immediately after the break while his son, Max, battled a rare case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Since returning, he’s been slowed by a hairline fracture in his right middle finger.

Through Sunday, Freeman is 3 for his last 23 with seven strikeouts.

Freeman is currently under a 6-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers that runs through 2027. A five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and the 2020 National League MVP, Freeman has never been on the injured list since joining the Dodgers in 2022.

Last season, Freeman led the National League in doubles (59) while hitting 29 home runs and slugging .567. This year he’s seen his slugging percentage fall nearly 100 points.

The Dodgers were already missing Freeman’s power bat with or without him in the lineup, so the time off makes sense. The longer he goes without playing, however, the more a backdated injured list stint seems possible.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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