Devastating Dodgers' injury could thrust Padres into the NL West driver's seat

Drew Koch

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres may not necessarily need any help to overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the NL West crown, but they'll certainly take any advantage they can get. The latest Dodgers' injury update, in what's been a horrid year on that front for LA, could put San Diego in the driver's seat with just over a month to go before the 2024 season comes to a close.

Freddie Freeman is the latest Dodgers player to fall victim to the injury bug. Freeman reportedly jammed his finger during LA's game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday and was held out of Sunday's series finale.

While initial X-rays came back negative, the latest reporting suggests that Freeman's injury could be worse than originally assumed. The Dodgers' first baseman underwent further testing to discover the extent of the injury, and it was revealed he suffered a hairline fracture in his middle finger.

He's in the lineup on Monday night, so clearly it's not enough to keep him down, but one can assume there will be lingering effects.

Devastating Dodgers' injury could thrust Padres into the NL West driver's seat

Doc on Freddie Freeman:

"Freddie is doing fine. There's a hairline fracture on his right middle finger. Freddie's got a high tolerance, so he's going to play. He couldn't brush his teeth, or his hair, but the swelling dissipated. Just speaks to how tough he is."
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) August 20, 2024

There's no way to gloss over the fact that Freeman's absence from the Dodgers' lineup will greatly impact Los Angeles' chances of winning the division. The Dodgers' lead in the NL West has shrunk dramatically, and the Friars are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

With so many contenders having fallen out of the race in recent weeks, the Padres have been able to shift their focus from just making into the postseason as a wild card to actually winning the division. This was almost unthinkable back on July 1 when the Dodgers held a 7.5-game lead in the NL West. But since then, San Diego has gone 24-13 while Los Angeles has posted a record of 18-19.

Padres fans will definitely be keeping an eye on any injury updates coming out of Hollywood, as Freeman isn't the only Dodgers star on the mend. The Dodgers are without Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Brusdar Graterol, Tyler Glasnow, Chris Taylor, and Dustin May. At some point, all those injuries are going to be too much, even for the high-priced Dodgers roster.

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Drew Koch

Drew Koch has been an MLB Staff Writer since January 2024 and part of the FanSided Network since June 2018. Drew's contributions have been published on Blog Red Machine, Friars on Base, BoSox Injection, Lombardi Avenue, Wildcat Blue Nation, Motor City Bengals, and many other sites within the FanSided Network. When he's not cheering wildly for the Cincinnati Reds or the Kentucky Wildcats, Drew enjoys fishing, golfing, playing cribbage and other card games, listening to country and classical music, and spending time with his family and friends.