ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman is scheduled to come off the disabled list when eligible Wednesday in San Diego and this time the Atlanta Braves first baseman will have had an ample number of minor league rehab games.
That wasn’t the case at the end of his first DL stint and he played in just 10 games before hurting himself again, although it was a different injury.
This time Freeman, who joined Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, will have played in at least four minor league games before he returns from his right oblique strain.
Freeman, though, doesn’t think there was a connection between playing in just one rehab game after five weeks on the DL the first time with a wrist injury and straining his right oblique less than two weeks after his return.
“My legs felt great. Everything felt great,” said Freeman, who tweaked his side swinging on Aug. 3 against San Francisco. “It was just one of those things. I’ve seen some articles that have said I might have come back too early, but that’s not the case. I felt great when I came back. It’s just that an oblique can happen sometimes. Unfortunately, it happened a couple of weeks ago. But it’s all healed up now and that’s all I can ask for.”
Freeman took batting practice at Turner Field on Saturday before playing for Gwinnett at Columbus on Sunday and will be in the G-Braves lineup again Monday at Toledo. If all goes well, he will take Tuesday off and then rejoin the Braves in San Diego.
“I’ve been swinging for the past six or seven days and playing games the past few days,” said Freeman, who played in Gulf Coast League rookie games Thursday and Friday. “I’m 100 percent healthy. I haven’t felt this good in August for a few years, so it’s definitely a good feeling.”
The down time, though, has definitely been frustrating. Freeman had played in 243 consecutive games before being sidelined from June 18 to July 24 by the wrist injury.
“I’m not a big fan of sitting ever,” he said. “This has been a frustrating season for me. Hopefully, I can get back Wednesday and end the final month-and-a-half of the season on a positive note.”