Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman – Will He Have Wrist Surgery?
By Jeff Schafer
Atlanta Braves superstar first baseman, Freddie Freeman was hampered by a right wrist injury throughout the 2015 season. The nagging injury resulted in disappointments for both Freeman and the Braves this past year.
The initial wrist injury occurred (we believe) on a swing late in the June 13th game against the Mets. Freeman continued to play through the pain until June 17th against the Red Sox. He was taken out of the game versus Boston and sat out until July 25th.
Freeman was back on the field with the Braves from July 25th to August 3rd…10 games.
On August 3rd, the wrist pain flared up again. This time it was the wrist and an oblique strain.
He returned to the starting lineup on August 19th in San Diego.
Freeman played the rest of the season through the pain in his wrist. He missed a total of 44 games because of injury in 2015…the most in his young career.
“Obviously it’s still painful, but I try not to think about it,” Freeman told reporters late in September. “I just have to go out there and play. If I get out, it’s not the wrist’s fault, it’s my fault. I’m going out there and giving it my best effort. I can definitely deal with it so I’ll be out there tomorrow (Saturday).”
The Braves front office believes 2016 will be an opportunity for this team to get back to the playoffs. Health to all players, especially Freeman is very important to this organization and fan base.
I asked Grant McAuley, Braves reporter and sports anchor for CBS Radio’s 929 The Game about Freeman and if he expects him to have surgery this offseason.
@TomahawkTakeFS He plans to avoid it at all cost, but it could happen if he does not see improvement with rest/therapy.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) October 22, 2015
A certain amount of rest should heal these types of injuries, but what if it doesn’t? It’s very possible that down time would not take care of this issue. I went back to McAuley and asked him…if they do decide that surgery is necessary, how long can they wait until it would affect the 2016 season
@TomahawkTakeFS I'd imagine that decision would be made before this year is out. Without full prognosis, no idea what recovery time is.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) October 28, 2015
@TomahawkTakeFS But again, rest could be the answer. He said it was similar a 2009 injury. Don't believe he had surgery then.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) October 28, 2015
So it’s possible Freeman and the Braves could avoid wrist surgery, but going under the knife could still be the answer.