Freddie Freeman Makes Emotional Return to the Los Angeles Dodgers After 3-Year-Old Son’s Health Scare

Freddie Freeman received a warm welcome during his first Los Angeles Dodgers game since his 3-year-old son, Maximus, suffered a health emergency.

Ahead of the team’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, August 5, Freeman’s teammates showed their support for his young son by sporting “#MaxStrong” T-shirts during practice.

“Get well soon, Max!” the Dodgers’ official X page captioned pics of players sporting the shirts, one of which Freeman, 34, also wore. “We’re all rooting for you 💙.”

Upon stepping out for his first bat of the game, Freeman was greeted with a standing ovation from attendees. The first baseman appeared to get choked up as he graciously waved to the crowd.

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“Right when my walkout song started to play, I could hear the crowd start getting louder and louder. And it means a lot,” Freeman told reporters in a postgame press conference . “It means a lot that the Phillies were respectful of that situation as well. I wasn’t expecting it, but [it was] very much appreciated from the Dodgers fans.” (The Dodgers beat the Phillies with a score of 5-3.)

Freeman continued to share his appreciation for Dodgers fans, joking that their standing ovation made it “really hard” for him to hit the ball. “I was OK with that. It’s, like, one of the most pleasant strikeouts I’ve ever had in my big league career,” he quipped.

Freddie shared that his wife, Chelsea Freeman , sent him a photo of Maximus “doing tummy time” ahead of the game. “He seemed happy about it,” he stated. “That was surprising to us.” (The couple, who wed in 2014, also share sons Charlie, 7, and Brandon, 3, the latter of whom was born via surrogate three months before Maximus.)

He went on to state: “I’m just very thankful for the baseball community [for] lifting up Max in prayer and [giving their] love and support. It’s gonna be a long journey for him, but it’s a beautiful thing that he’s on the path to being recovered.”

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Last month, Freddie rushed to the hospital after a game upon learning Maximus had experienced severe pain that prevented him from standing or walking. Chelsea shared in a July 25 Instagram Story that doctors believed Maximus developed transient synovitis, a condition causing irritation of the hip lining in children. Freddie was subsequently given a leave of absence from the Dodgers.

In an August 1 Instagram update , the couple revealed that Maximus had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome , which they described as “a rare neurological condition that is especially rare in children.” ( Mayo Clinic defines Guillain-Barré syndrome as a condition that causes the immune system to attack the body’s nerves, causing “weakness, numbness or paralysis.”)

Their statement continued: “Maximus is such a special boy and he has been fighting SO hard. This is going to be a journey to recover, but we have faith that he will be completely healed.”

Earlier this week, Freddie and Chelsea announced that Maximus had returned home after spending eight days in the Pediatric ICU.

“Max still has a long road ahead of him to regain his strength and relearn how to walk. But we are so thankful to have our family back together,” they captioned an Instagram carousel of hospital and home pics on Sunday, August 4. “Thank you God for this miracle. Also, thank you to our incredible team of doctors and angel nurses for taking such good care of our boy. And to our village for helping so much with Charlie and Brandon.”