Following the Braves flop in the NLDS to the Cardinals, it was announced that Freddie Freeman would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow to remove loose bodies. The issue bothered the Braves first baseman for over a month, even causing him to miss time. But when the playoffs arrived, nobody was going to stop the face of Atlanta’s franchise from competing.
Unfortunately, Freeman just didn’t look like himself out there. At the plate, he was striking out a rate we’ve never seen from him before. And defensively, he was far from the player that was the 2018 Gold Glove award winner, so it came as no surprise when the Braves revealed he would have a minor procedure done before the 2020 season.
Yesterday marked the two month anniversary of the surgery, and apparently, Freeman is feeling better than he has in a long time, according to Brian Snitker at the Winter Meetings.
#Braves' Snitker on Freddie Freeman following his arthroscopic elbow surgery: "Last time I talked to him he said it hadn't felt that good in a long time."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) December 12, 2019
Not having Freeman at full-strength was a detrimental blow to the Braves World Series hopes a year ago, and it pains me to think about what could have been. But as always, it’s fantastic to see him back to 100% well before spring training begins. Now, we wait and see if he will have his running mate in the order behind him, as the Josh Donaldson sweepstakes continue into the holidays.