The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without Freddie Freeman their past five games and that figures to continue into this weekend’s series against the Oakland Athletics.
Freeman left the Dodgers’ road trip before first pitch against the Houston Astros in order to return to Los Angeles in order to be with his family. One of Freeman’s three sons, Maximus, had fallen ill during the All-Star break and was hospitalized.
Chelsea Freeman, Freddie’s wife, shared on Instagram last week that doctors believed Maximus is suffering from transient synovitis. The 3-year-old was having extreme difficulty standing or walking.
Chelsea also described Max as being “very lethargic,” which prompted a visit to the emergency room on July 24. Freeman met his wife and son at the hospital that night and remained there until being discharged around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Update on Max… #Guillainbarre #gbs #gbsawareness pic.twitter.com/arIRjhHFdr
— Chelsea Freeman (@chelseafree5) August 1, 2024
Chelsea had indicated if Max’s condition did not improve over the next 48 hours from that point, they would need to be back in the hospital. That was presumed to have been the impetus behind Freeman taking time away from the Dodgers.
Freeman was placed on the family emergency list July 27.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed to the midweek series against the San Diego Padres as a potential return date for the All-Star first baseman, but it quickly became apparent that would not take place.
“He’s still kind of in it with Max, and I don’t see him coming back this series,” Roberts said on Tuesday. “We have the off day after this series, then we’ll revisit.
“To be quite honest, I haven’t even broached that subject of him coming back. I just don’t feel it’s right.”
Freddie Freeman’s son illness
Amid droves of well-wishes on social media, Chelsea provided an update on Max’s status and revealed he is battling Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
“Last Friday, Max rapidly declined and went into full body paralysis,” the Freemans shared in a social media post.
Their statement added there “is going to be a journey to recover” but that the family has “faith that he will be completely healed.”
The post also noted tests determined Maximus is battling a “severe” case of Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the family has “been blown away by his improvements in the last 48 hours.”
That includes the 3-year-old being excavated from his breathing tube and getting taken off a ventilator on Wednesday afternoon. Maximus remains hospitalized.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the syndrome is “a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. It can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis.”
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