LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman is penciling himself into the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup for their World Series opener against the New York Yankees.
“I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind that I will be in the lineup for Game 1,” he said Tuesday during a Zoom news conference.
Of course, the final lineup decision rests with manager Dave Roberts after discussions with the front office.
By Game 1 on Friday, Freeman will have had a week since running on his sprained right ankle in NL Championship Series Game 5 against the New York Mets.
The All-Star first baseman missed Games 4 and 6 of the NLCS. Freeman was 3 for 18 against the Mets after hitting .286 in the NL Division Series against San Diego.
“I'm obviously compromised with my ankle, so if I'm not in the lineup on that day that means the best option is with our guys,” Freeman said. “I haven't played three games and I think they're averaging about nine runs a game without me in there. I have great confidence in everybody.”
Freeman said he can hit and walk comfortably but his ankle flares up when he takes the first step to run. He's been receiving hours of treatment for the first sprained ankle of his long career.
“I want to get this thing as calmed down as I possibly can, to give my best self and be ready to go by Game 1,” he said.
When Freeman’s been forced to sit, third baseman Max Muncy has shifted over to first base and Kiké Hernández has moved to third.
Freeman typically hits third, behind Shohei Ohtani leading off and Mookie Betts, giving the Dodgers three former MVPs at the top of the order.
“You’re talking about one of the most consistent players in the game the last 10, 12 years,” Muncy said. “To get him back, to have him in that lineup, just adds that depth. On top of that, all the key hits, the clutch hits he’s had in his career this time of year, you can’t really quantify how valuable that is.”
Freeman hurt his ankle on Sept. 26 against the Padres while trying to avoid a tag at first base by San Diego’s Luis Arráez and missed the Dodgers' last three regular-season games.
He also missed eight games in late July to be with his 3-year-old son, Maximus, who was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition.
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman warms up before Game 5 of a baseball National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, right, and Mookie Betts celebrate after they scored on a single by Max Muncy during the first inning in Game 1 of a baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
LABUHAN HAJI, Indonesia (AP) — About 140 weak and hungry Rohingya Muslims, mostly women and children, were on a wooden boat anchored about 1 mile (0.60 kilometers) off the coast of Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh on Tuesday, officials said, and local residents refused to allow them onto land.
The blue-painted boat has been floating off the coast since Friday. Three Rohingya died during the nearly two-week-long trip from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to the waters off Labuhan Haji in South Aceh district, local police said.
Authorities have transferred 11 Rohingya to a government hospital since Sunday after their health worsened.
“Our community, the fishing community, refuses to let them land because of what happened in other places. They have caused unrest to local residents,” said Muhammad Jabal, the chief of the fishing community in South Aceh.
A large banner hanging at the seaport read: “The people of South Aceh Regency reject the arrival of Rohingya refugees in the South Aceh Regency area."
The group left Cox’s Bazar on Oct. 9, according to an Aceh police report, and intended to reach Malaysia. Some passengers on the boat had reportedly paid to be transported to other countries.
Local residents have given the group food, Jabal said, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has also provided them food.
There were 216 people on board when the boat departed Bangladesh and 50 of them reportedly disembarked in Indonesia’s Riau province, according to police.
Aceh police have arrested three suspects for alleged people smuggling.
About 1 million of the predominately Muslim Rohingya live in Bangladesh as refugees from Myanmar. They include about 740,000 who fled a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.
The Rohingya minority in Myanmar faces widespread discrimination. Most are denied citizenship.
Indonesia, like Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention and is not obligated to accept them. However, the country generally provides temporary shelter to refugees in distress.
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from atop the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Aceh. Another 67 passengers, including at least 28 children, had been killed when the boat capsized, according to the UNHCR. AP reported that the captain and crew had tortured women and girls before the the boat capsized.
Tarigan reported from Jakarta.
Rohingya refugee children sit on the deck of their boat anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A Rohingya man receives food delivered by local fishermen to their boat anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A Rohingya woman rests on the deck of a boat carrying refugees anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Rohingya children wait for food supply delivered by local fishermen on their boat anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A young Rohingya girl sits on the deck of a refugee boat anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Acehnese men inspect a boat carrying Rohingya refugees anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Acehnese men inspect a boat carrying Rohingya refugees anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Rohingya refugees rest in their boat anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A local fisherman navigates past a boat carrying Rohingya refugees anchored in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A young girl who was evacuated from a boat carrying Rohingya Muslims lies on a stretcher as she is taken to a local hospital to check on her medical condition in Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A paramedic examines the health condition of young girl as she lies on the deck of a boat carrying Rohingya Muslims in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A young girl lies on the deck of a boat carrying Rohingya Muslims as she waits for a paramedic to check on her condition in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
A young girl is evacuated from the boat carrying Rohingya Muslims due to her medical condition, in the waters near the coast of Labuhan Haji, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
