Dodgers' Roberts “expecting” Freddie Freeman (ankle) for Game 1

LOS ANGELES – Freddie Freeman is still bothered by the right ankle sprain he suffered on Sept. 26, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts apparently has no doubts about the first baseman's availability for Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday.

“I expect him to be in the lineup,” Roberts said before Friday’s pre-NLDS practice. “We’ll probably know what that looks like when we see him out there. But with Freddie I have no doubt he will be ready to go.”

Freeman hit the batting cages and took at-bats in an intrasquad scrimmage at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. He didn't run the bases or play defense at the time, but Roberts still called it “a good step forward.”

On Friday, Freeman took a handful of ground balls at first base and ran briefly across the bases, including a near sprint from first to third. Freeman was clearly still tending to his tender ankle, but said that “the swelling has gone down a lot over the last eight days.”

“I feel good,” Freeman said. “Good enough.”

Given the presence of Shohei Ohtani as the designated hitter, Freeman will need to play the field to participate in this series. If he can't go, the Dodgers will move Max Muncy from third base to first base and start Enrique Hernandez at Muncy's original position.

But that doesn't seem to be an option at the moment.

“I really don’t want to go there,” Roberts said.

Running the bases and participating in defensive drills were the final step that Freeman felt he needed to clear before committing. While covering first base, he pushed off as hard as he could with his right foot to test the ankle and said he felt “good enough.” He expects he will feel the most pain slowing down on the bases.

“They told me this was a four- to six-week IL stay,” Freeman said. “And I’m going to try to do that in a week and play.”