Freeman pulled after HBP on right hand as precaution, X-rays negative
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CHICAGO -- Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was removed from Wednesday's 7-6 loss at Wrigley Field after taking a pitch off his right hand. X-rays came back negative, and he's expected to return to the lineup in L.A.'s next game on Friday in Arizona.
Freeman's hand was struck when he fouled off a high first-pitch fastball from Cubs starter Shota Imanaga in the fifth inning. He said the ball caught the outside of his right hand and squeezed it against the bat.
"That's what I get for swinging at a ball at my face," Freeman said.
Freeman stayed in to finish the at-bat, flying out to the warning track in left-center, and was replaced in the field by Kiké Hernández the following inning. Manager Dave Roberts described the exit as precautionary.
"He was in some pain," Roberts said. "Never wants to come out of a game, but I just felt it was prudent to get him out, to get a scan on it to see where we're at."