All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman was taken out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for Game 4 of their NL Division Series against San Diego on Wednesday night because of a painful ankle sprain.
Manager Dave Roberts had initially included Freeman in the lineup, where he was set to bat third and play first base. However, less than two hours before the game started, Freeman was replaced at first by Max Muncy, who would now bat fourth.
Kiké Hernández moved from center field to take Muncy’s place at third base, while Chris Taylor stepped in to play center field.
The Padres were leading the best-of-five series 2-1.
Freeman injured his right ankle while running to first base against the Padres during the last week of the regular season.
His absence is a significant setback for the NL West champions, especially since leadoff batter Shohei Ohtani has been struggling in the last two games.
