Freddie Freeman exits NLDS Game 2 with ankle injury

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman‘s efforts to play through a right ankle sprain were characteristic of the grittiness that his team has made a point of bringing to the field this postseason, but the Dodgers’ star first baseman could only push the situation so far.

The injury, which Freeman said would normally necessitate a four- to six-week stint on the IL, flared up to the point where he needed to exit Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Sunday, a 10-2 loss to the Padres at Dodger Stadium that evened the series at a game apiece.

Manager Dave Roberts said Freeman is day to day, with his availability for Game 3 on Tuesday night at Petco Park to be determined.

“I got word in the middle of the game that his ankle was really bothering him,” Roberts said. “He was down, really down, and just couldn’t keep going.

“We had no other choice. He’s doing everything he can. I don’t know what his status will be like for Game 3. But for tonight, we had no other option.”

Freeman did not address the media after the loss.

After spraining his ankle in the Dodgers’ Sept. 26 game against the Padres that clinched the NL West, Freeman sat out the final three games of the regular season but returned to game action in a little more than a week.

Freeman’s availability for Game 1 of the NLDS, a 7-5 Dodgers win, had been in question as he was still feeling some soreness in his ankle. But he was able to get through his pregame work, and with the aid of medication, he played all nine innings in the series opener, going 2-for-5 and even swiping second base.

The Padres were well aware of the situation and intentionally walked Mookie Betts, who is hitless in his last 22 postseason at-bats, twice — even after getting to two strikes on him in one instance — to face Freeman on Saturday. While San Diego manager Mike Shildt said it was primarily a matchup-based decision, the team had also been hoping to take advantage of the fact that Freeman wasn’t at full health.

Roberts said before Game 2 that it had been a “much easier” decision to pencil in Freeman, who was not feeling notably better than he had the day before but knew how to get through a game while managing the injury.

Freeman started at first base, going hitless in two at-bats against Padres starter Yu Darvish. But when the Dodgers came out on the field to open the top of the sixth inning, Max Muncy slid over from third to first base in place of Freeman — whose spot in the lineup was due up in the bottom half of the frame — while Kiké Hernández entered and took over the hot corner.

That Freeman chose not to stick it out until his next trip to the plate with his team down by only two runs was telling, as he relishes taking at-bats in those situations.

“I know I took a big risk with how I’m feeling, but it was just the opportunity presented itself and I had to go for it,” Freeman said after Game 1. “Like I said before the game, if I can’t play the game the right way, I shouldn’t be out there. I was doing good enough. Adrenaline took over. Adrenaline has worn off now. I’m tired. It’s a grind this week trying to get myself ready to play.”

Given the nature of the injury, the Dodgers will likely have to monitor Freeman for the remainder of their postseason run.

“It is not ideal,” Roberts said. “It is of concern. It’s day to day and there’s nothing we can do about it. We have a workout tomorrow evening and then we’ll just kind of see where he’s at with treatment. And then, once we get to Tuesday, we’ll see how he feels, and then we’ll do the same thing for Game 4. Again, it’s not ideal. But I think this is what we’ll have to be dealing with for the duration.”