Freeman smiles through 'total body soreness' after scary tumble into opposing dugout

LOS ANGELES -- Sore in the shoulder, hand, knee and foot areas, Freddie Freeman was just glad that he didn't hit his head.

Freeman was sore all over but in good spirits after taking a scary tumble down the stairs and into the visitors' dugout while trying to catch a foul popup, leading to his early exit in the eighth inning of the Dodgers' 4-2 win over the Royals on Wednesday night.

• Dodgers sweep Royals ahead of crucial set vs. Brewers

When Isaac Collins hit a high foul ball to the right side of the infield with one out in the top of the eighth, Freeman tracked the ball as it flew, reaching the warning track just in front of the dugout stairs. When the ball was nearly in reach, Freeman ranged to his left to make the snag but leaned too far into open air, plunging into the Royals' dugout.

"I was going to lean against the rail to catch the ball," Freeman said. "And obviously, there was no rail."

Freeman was down for several moments, having braced himself with the right side of his body. Those in the ballpark seemed to hold their collective breath. After being checked on by the training staff, Freeman rose to his feet and returned to first base as "Freddie! Freddie!" chants echoed through the stands.

"Very scary visually," manager Dave Roberts said. "I didn't really get a good look at it. I think for right now, in good spirits, which I think is a good sign. Just kind of total body soreness right now."

Freeman fell in a relatively fortunate way. His body hit the dugout floor hard, but his head went into the other staircase going from the dugout to the clubhouse and was spared from impact.

"Luckily I was tall," Freeman said, "so I missed everything else.”

While Freeman felt sore immediately after falling, the initial adrenaline coursing through him allowed him to finish the inning in the field. Once it wore off, he knew he might have a tough time taking his next at-bat. Tommy Edman pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the eighth, and Kiké Hernández replaced him at first base in the top of the ninth.

Freeman did not need to get X-rays taken. He is considered day to day, and he's hopeful that he will feel good enough to play in Thursday night's series opener against the Brewers. He was already scheduled to get the night off on Friday, with the Dodgers in a stretch of 13 games in as many days.

This was not the first time that Freeman has taken a fall while trying to snare a popup in foul territory. He recalled a game in Arizona 10 years ago, back when he was with the Braves, where he tumbled over a railing and landed awkwardly on some seats. He stayed in that game, too, and was able to play the next day.

"Not my first time," Freeman said. "I didn’t catch that one either.”