Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is sick with COVID-19. Seriously ill. According to his manager, Brian Snitker, Freeman “is not feeling very well.” His wife paints a darker image than that.
Freeman’s wife posted on Instagram that Freeman has “body aches, headaches, chills, and a high fever.” She said: “He is someone who literally never gets sick and this virus hit him like a ton of bricks,” he said. “We have been very strict for the past 4 months,” he wrote. “I haven’t been to a grocery store, I haven’t gone out to dinner once, I haven’t seen our friends … and I still have it.” She added: “Please take this virus seriously, wear a mask when you are in public, and wash your hands often.”
Freeman isn’t the only Braves player knocked down by the virus: Teammates Will Smith, Touki Toussaint, and Pete Kozma also tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
The 30-year-old Freeman is a four-time All-Star who set career records with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs last season to help Atlanta win its second consecutive National League East Division title. He also won the Silver Slugger Award. Given that he is now sick and symptomatic, he is probably not ready to start the truncated 2020 season as scheduled.
Braves starter Félix Hernández will be out of the 2020 season due to the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), according to his agent Wilfredo Polidor of Octagon Sports. Other MLB players who have chosen to exit the 2020 season include: Mike Leake, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Welington Castillo and David Price.
Hernandez, 34, signed a minor league contract with the Braves in January that would pay him a $ 1 million salary if he entered the Major League roster. The right-handed veteran has had a difficult time in his 30 years, posting a 4.89 ERA with 382 strikeouts and 175 walks in 467 1/3 innings since 2016. Before the league closed in March, he was vying for a spot in the back of the initial rotation.
In May, Hernández said he wanted to reach certain career milestones: 200 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, and then retire. He currently has 169 wins and 2,524 strikeouts.
Now that Hernandez will be out of the 2020 season, the number 5 spot in the rotation appears to be a battle between Kyle Wright and Sean Newcomb.
Follow @Baer_Bill
