Braves' Freeman avoids broken wrist from HBP, will play Thursday
The Atlanta Braves are breathing some very heavy sighs of relief.
Tests conducted on first baseman Freddie Freeman's injured left wrist came back negative, the Braves announced Thursday, and he did not suffer any broken bones after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday night's game.
He was initially listed as day to day, but now won't miss any time because of the issue. Freeman is in the lineup Thursday, and will hit in his customary No. 3 spot against the New York Mets.
#Braves Freddie Freeman with a quote of the year nominee: "All is well with the bone."
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 19, 2018
He told the team if it wasn't broken then he's playing. It's not broken and he's in the lineup tonight.
Freeman was hit in the left wrist by Philadelphia Phillies reliever Hoby Milner in the eighth inning, and he left the game obviously frustrated and in noticeable pain. It's the same left wrist that Freeman broke on a similar hit-by-pitch only 11 months ago - an injury that sent him to the disabled list for eight weeks.
"(The pitch) missed ... the piece of bone I broke last year by about half an inch," Freeman told reporters Thursday, according to 680 The Fan Atlanta.
The 28-year-old has jumped out to a good start in 2018, hitting .288/.468/.492 with two homers, six doubles, and 18 walks in 17 games.