Freeman cleared to swing bat, could start rehab stint in 7-10 days

Braves slugger Freddie Freeman, while recovering from a fractured left wrist, has had extra time lately for activties such as helping to honor Braves Community Heroes this week. He’s weeks ahead in his rehab schedule and aiming for a return just before the All-Star break. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)

Credit: Curtis Compton

Credit: Curtis Compton

Braves slugger Freddie Freeman, while recovering from a fractured left wrist, has had extra time lately for activties such as helping to honor Braves Community Heroes this week. He’s weeks ahead in his rehab schedule and aiming for a return just before the All-Star break. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)

After having his left wrist examined again Friday, Braves slugger Freddie Freeman was cleared to start swinging a bat and hopes to begin a rehab assignment in seven to 10 days, reiterating his intention of playing in a July 6-9 road series against the Nationals leading into All-Star break.

That’s three weeks ahead of an original 10-week estimate for Freeman’s recovery following his left-wrist fracture May 17, a speedy return despite the surprising announcement this week of his position switch to third base, which Freeman last played for five games in rookie ball a decade ago.

It was his idea to move from first base to third so hot-hitting Matt Adams could stay in the lineup when Freeman returns.

“Everybody’s been saying that they really didn’t think I was going to be back until eight to 10 weeks; obviously I had a different mindset going into it,” Freeman said, smiling. “But we’re just at two days over five weeks now, so I’m pretty ecstatic over how the recovery has gone.”

He was cleared Friday to take only “dry swings” — swinging the bat without hitting a ball — but Freeman said if that went well he would ask to start the hitting progression this weekend. He would hit balls off a tee, then soft-tossed pitches, working up to batting practice and live pitching.

That process, like his entire rehab, would be at quicker-than-usual pace barring any setbacks.

“It’s good news,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of being cleared to swing. “We’re headed in the right direction. He’s had three or four days now of working out defensively, and the reports there are that he’s kind of looking better and better each day that he does that, too. I know Freddie’s kind of excited about it.”

Indeed, Freeman said his first few days of taking ground balls at third base and working one-on-one with infield instructor and third-base coach Ron Washington have been productive and encouraging.

“Obviously I’m not going to sit here and tell you I feel like I do at first base; I definitely don’t,” he said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. But I don’t feel out of place. So that’s all I can ask for right now. The work has gone good, I’ve gotten better each day. That’s what they tell me; I don’t know if they’re just telling me that (smiles).

“I feel good over there. Just got to get my shoulder in shape.”

He said he iced his arm Thursday for the first time in 10 years, a result of making so many long throws across the diamond from various angles he’s not accustomed to. His pal, retired Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, has offered plenty of tips on fielding grounders and bunts and making quick throws to first base.

“Chipper was here yesterday, and we had a nice little conversation,” Freeman said. “He was giving me some pointers. He said the biggest thing is going to be the throws from all different angles. ‘Wash’ has been making me work on slow rollers, so I’ve been working on all angles, so hopefully it starts coming along.”

Freeman will accompany the Braves on a six-game trip to San Diego and Oakland next week, and said he plans to fly back on the team charter after the July 2 finale at Oakland, or a couple of days sooner, to begin what he expects to be a brief minor league rehab assignment.

The Braves might decide to have him play a week or more of rehab games and rejoin the team July 14 after the All-Star break, but Freeman has a strong desire to play all or most of the four-game series at Washington before the break.

Those are a big four games (against the Nationals), and I want to be back for that,” Freeman said. “If I come back with the team on Sunday, then it would be three or four, and then probably just miss the Thursday (July 6 series opener at Washington). But if all goes well on the dry swings and I can start hitting balls and everything goes well, I’ll probably try to fly back sooner. I’ll probably stay in San Diego and maybe go to Oakland for a day and then leave from there and get and start doing some rehab assignments.

“It all depends on how I feel. I can tell you right now I do feel it, even moving my wrist, in the ligament area. It’s pain, it’s not hurt. You guys know I’ll play through pain.”

Freeman was injured when struck by a fastball, the pitch shattering one of the small bones in his wrist in multiple places. The initial MRI showed seven small fractures in the bone, but Freeman said Friday that estimate had proved to be conservative.

“The only part that’s not bridged is the impact point,” he said of the healing. “I told you guys seven cracks five weeks ago, and it ended up being 12-14 fractures in it. So it pretty much shattered. So the whole bone is completely (healed over) around the bone, it’s just the impact spot (that’s not healed).”

X-rays taken Friday showed the bone healing more rapidly than expected.

“Last week they said it was 50 percent. This week Dr. Lourie said it was between 80 and 90 percent,” he said. “It’s completely bridged around the bone, but there is a little spot on the impact because that’s where it shattered. He was completely OK with that. I have a little ligament soreness from the injury and from being (in a cast) for four weeks, but we’re working through that.”

Asked if he’d heard what he hoped to hear from Lourie on Friday, Freeman said, “And more. Last week they told me it was like 50 percent, and I didn’t think it was going to get to 80 percent in a week. Obviously it did, he said 80-90, and they’re all pretty shocked that it got to that point, too. Especially with me stressing it the last few days and catching balls and all that stuff. It’s actually great news.”

As for when he might start hitting baseballs, Freeman said, “It all (depends) on how (dry-swinging) goes. I haven’t felt my bone hurt in probably a week. The only thing I really felt was the ligament, and that’s just from, I think, inactivity. So once I start getting going here I think that will loosen up.”

He said that equipment manufacturer Under Armour is designing a custom padded batting glove for him that should arrive within a week.