Freddie Freeman’s road to recovery from a fracture in his left hand has progressed to playing in minor league games. On Saturday, he did so at an unfamiliar position.
Since making his major league debut with the Braves in 2010, the only position Freeman has played defensively has been first base. However, during his absence, the Braves acquired Matt Adams from the Cardinals and he has more than an adequately filled in. In 37 games with Atlanta, Adams is hitting .294/.346/.615 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI.
That has led to a dilemma of sorts for the Braves as Freeman gets closer to returning to the lineup. Freeman discussed the idea of playing third base when he’s activated from the disabled list. Saturday, he took a necessary step in making that a reality. Freeman played third base for the Gwinnett Braves and handled his first grounder without any trouble. Take a look below.
Freddie Freeman fields his first grounder at third perfectly to end the inning and tips his hat to the crowd ? #Braves pic.twitter.com/AFlrrX4mTh
— Kelsey Wingert (@KelsWingert) July 2, 2017
Kudos to Freeman for embracing the idea of changing positions to help the club. If Adams continues to swing the bat well and Freeman returns to Atlanta and performs the way he’s capable of, the Braves will certainly be potent offensively from the corners of the infield.
