Freddie Freeman confirms Spring Training debut after ankle surgery, decision on first base soon 

Reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman played the entire 2024 postseason with a bad ankle. He suffered the injury in late September during a game against the San Diego Padres.

After winning his second World Series, Freeman underwent a procedure on his right ankle in the offseason. On Thursday, he's set to wear his cleats for the first time since the surgery.

On Wednesday, the LA Dodgers' first baseman shared a positive update regarding his ankle injury.

"Yeah, so it's kind of right back to the training table," Freeman told reporters in Glendale via MLB Network. "Today's Wednesday — 12 weeks post-op tomorrow. I'm going to play in the first game; I'll be DHing tomorrow, just kind of managing the workload at the beginning.

"I think I'll DH tomorrow, aiming to DH again on Saturday, and potentially play first base on Sunday. I'm feeling pretty good. You know, it's just the tedious rehab stuff during Spring Training," he added.

Will Freddie Freeman play in Tokyo Series for Dodgers?

The LA Dodgers start their regular season with a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19.

On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned that Freeman's recovery is going well and the possibility of him featuring in the regular season opener is likely.

“He ran yesterday, came into today feeling good,” Roberts said Friday via MLB.com. “I see next week as a good possibility to get him back into a game. I don’t know when. Next week is broad, I understand that. He’s trending in the right direction.

“I think that is still going to happen. I think that is what he has talked about, and I still think the progression lends itself to that. I think he is going to be fine for Opening Day," he added.

Freddie Freeman is coming off an exceptional postseason campaign which saw him hit going deep in the first four World Series games while contributing with 12 RBIs against the New York Yankees.

In 2024, he played his fourth All-Star game and finished the season, slashing .282/.378/.476 with 22 homers and 89 RBIs.