Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman will still be dealing with an ankle injury in 2025. But there isn’t really any reason to fret as Freeman etched his name in Dodgers lore as the hobbled hero of the 2024 World Series run.

Not even playing at 100 percent, the Dodgers superstar gave fans a once in a lifetime memory with his walk-off grand slam in Game 1 against the New York Yankees. Freeman underwent offseason surgery soon after his historic World Series performance, and is expected to play Opening Day.

“I gave myself to the game, to the field,” Freeman said after the World Series. “I did everything I could to get onto that field. And that’s why this is really, really sweet. I’m proud of the fact that I gave everything I could to this team and I left it all out there. That’s all I try to do every single night.

“When I go home and put my head on that pillow, I ask if I gave everything I had that night. And usually it’s a yes. One hundred percent of the time it’s a yes. But this one was a little bit sweeter because I went through a lot. My teammates appreciated it. The organization appreciated it. And to end it with a championship makes all the trying times before games, what I put myself through to get on the field, worth it.”

However, the severity of Freeman’s injury will require daily treatment throughout the season.

“I wish it felt like the left one, but it doesn’t,” Freeman said, describing the ankle as “good enough.”

The original plan was for Freeman to play with a taped ankle until the All-Star break, but that has already changed. Freeman has made multiple appearances in Cactus League this spring, and came to the realization that the taped ankle limited his range of motion.

And so, the plan to play with a taped ankle is no longer in motion.

“Lower-body injuries are hard to rehab, especially the ankle,” Freeman said. “So I do believe it’s gonna be a lot more treatment-wise than I would like.”