Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman has been dealing with a lingering injury in his right knee since early September. The club gave him a night off from Monday's 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, which suggests he could miss more time ahead of the playoffs. However, his latest injury update may put those concerns to rest.

After missing three of the last five games for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts claimed that he does not believe the 37-year-old first baseman will go on the IL, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Furthermore, Roberts expects Freeman to play in Tuesday's contest against the Reds.

“I just think right now, with where we're at in the season, an IL is not an option in the sense of — I personally don't think we have a better option,” Roberts said. “I don’t think it needs to be 10 days. But could it be more than one? That's a fair question.”

Article Continues Below

The long-time manager went on to explain that managing the injury is key, per Chen. He believes that ensuring the injury doesn't get worse before playoffs will open things up for the 17-year veteran. The postseason should make things a lot easier on Freeman, as there are more rest days in between games than there is in the regular season.

“I think that if we can kind of manage it … depending on how the season goes, as far as the recovery,” Roberts said. “And then also in the postseason, there's more off-days. So I think that just trying to get ahold of it, I think that's the main thing.”

Freddie Freeman has played 142 games this year. He's been as consistent as ever, as the former MVP has recorded 156 hits, 16 home runs, and 66 RBIs through 533 at-bats, giving him a .293 batting average and .371 OBP.