LOS ANGELES — First baseman Freddie Freeman avoided serious injury and is expected to be day-to-day after falling down the visiting dugout steps while attempting to catch a fly ball in foul territory in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
X-rays were not required, and the Dodgers are confident Freeman will not miss extended time.
“We really dodged a bullet,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Freddie Freeman flies into the Royals’ dugout while tracking a foul ball pop-up. He does not appear hurt and remains in the game. pic.twitter.com/AKrhAwg3Uo
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 13, 2026
Freeman was in good spirits when talking to reporters after the game. He cracked a few jokes and bemoaned that he didn’t make the play while detailing the full body soreness he felt. He did clarify that he hadn’t sustained any damage to the ankle he had surgically repaired in 2024.
“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part there,” Freeman said. “I am sore. Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore.
“I mean, I fell,” he added with a laugh.
The incident happened in the top of the eighth inning, after Royals outfielder Isaac Collins popped up a 2-1 fastball from reliever Landon Knack. Freeman appeared to have a read on the ball and drifted into foul territory to make the catch, though it kept carrying. Freeman, who continued to track the ball, said he knew he was approaching the dugout and meant to reach out for the rail.
“I knew I was close to the rail,” Freeman said. “I haven’t really seen the replay yet, but I went to lean, like I was gonna lean against the rail to catch the ball — and obviously there was no rail.”
Instead Freeman fell down several feet, missing the first set of stairs entirely. He landed just before the second set of stairs that lead from the dugout to the clubhouse, something he credited as preventing a more serious injury. The right side of his body took the brunt of his fall, he said.
Second baseman Miguel Rojas sprinted into the Royals dugout while the Dodgers’ training staff and Roberts immediately rushed across the field. Several members of the Royals also attended to Freeman, including outfielder Starling Marte, coach Miguel Garcia and team trainers.
But Freeman was quick to his feet and took the field as the crowd at Dodger Stadium chanted his name. He attempted to stay in the game, but the adrenaline wore off shortly before the inning ended. Pinch-hitter Tommy Edman replaced Freeman in the bottom of the eighth.
“I really didn’t want to lay at an angle and wait for our trainers to get there,” Freeman explained. “So I just got up. And I was sore immediately, but I had adrenaline flowing.
“I could hear the fans,” he said. “I appreciate it. I’m OK.”
Freddie Freeman briefly stayed in the game after his dugout fall Wednesday night before coming out in the eighth inning. (Kiyoshi Mio / Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
Freeman, who has played in 118 of the Dodgers’ 121 games this year, was scheduled for a day off on Friday. He’ll confer with Roberts ahead of Thursday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, but was already lobbying to be in the starting lineup.
“I’ve already cold tubbed,” Freeman said. “I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play tomorrow. We’ll just see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. But right now, I’m just sore.”
This was not the first time Freeman sustained a scary fall into foul territory. He recalled a play against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field during his time with the Atlanta Braves, before Major League Baseball installed protective netting around the sides of the field of play. He had flipped over the wall in foul territory and fell into the stands.
“I actually went down probably like 10 feet. I hit seats and everything,” Freeman said.
“So not my first time. I didn’t catch that one either.”