Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman departed Friday’s game against the Nationals with right elbow soreness, the team announced. It’s not clear whether or not Freeman sustained a serious injury, but the decision has been framed as a precautionary one for now.
The 30-year-infielder weathered two at-bats against the Nationals’ Max Scherzer, going 0-for-2 with a line out and a strikeout in the first and third innings, respectively. He was replaced in the bottom of the fourth inning by Charlie Culberson, who stepped in at first base for his sixth appearance this month.
It’s been an impressive year for Freeman, who earned his fourth career All-Star distinction in July and has maintained a hefty .302/.392/.566 batting line with 38 home runs, a league-best 117 RBI, and 4.2 fWAR through 653 plate appearances. While there’s no firm diagnosis yet, this may be the first setback for the veteran, who has remained remarkably injury-free over the last two years and hasn’t seen a stint on the injured list since the summer of 2017.