Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is having an impressive 2026 campaign. He currently boasts a solid .271 batting average. The veteran slugger has blasted 8 home runs this season, driving in 27 runs across 53 games.
The 2024 World Series MVP continues anchoring the reigning champions. However, sudden retirement chatter clouds his exceptional on-field performance. In a recent sitting with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Freeman revealed his shifting priorities following the birth of his daughter.
Now, amid this ongoing chatter, Freeman is making a move away from MLB onto a different stage.
Freeman makes an appearance as a World Series champion on the stage of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which drops on June 12 exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu. Dodgers teammates Kike Hernandez and Miguel Rojas will also be joining him.
The trio will compete for the chance to win up to $1 million, the entirety of which will go to a charity of their choice.
The Dodgers lifted the World Series title for the second straight year and Freeman was a big part of that squad. He maintained a .207 batting average with 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored across 7 games.
Freddie Freeman’s Shifting Priorities and Family Focus
Freeman’s baseball future remains a major talking point. He and his wife, Chelsea, welcomed their daughter, London, last month. This family addition drastically altered his career outlook.
He currently needs roughly 500 hits to reach the historic 3,000 milestone. Reaching that mark requires playing at least three more full seasons. He averages roughly 180 hits per full campaign. However, the 36-year-old struggles deeply with missing family moments.
“She’s not going to know I missed these things either,” Freeman said to Rosenthal regarding his daughter. “But it weighs on me and my heart.”
He acknowledged his previous ambitions openly during the interview.
“Obviously, getting 3,000 hits would be very, very cool,” Freeman told The Athletic. “But ever since baby girl came into this world about a month ago, my perspective has changed a little bit on individual stats and how long I would want to play.”
He admitted the physical and emotional toll of constant travel.
“I don’t like seeing my daughter grow up on a FaceTime call,” Freeman said. “When I’m sitting in a hotel room by myself at night after a game, I’m just like, ‘Oh man, what am I doing?’”
Grandpa Ed Came to Freddie Freeman’s Rescue
Freeman originally planned to play until age 40. He does not plan to hold on to his spot on the squad if his mental health does not support him.
“All I ever wanted was a family,” Freeman said. “But all I ever wanted to do was play baseball, too. It’s such a hard thing, it really is.”
But fortunately, his grandfather Ed slammed the brakes on the possibility of a recent retirement. He presented Freeman with an alternate perspective.
“You’re going to be the best dad, the best husband, for the next 50 years,” his grandfather told him. “You only have a few years of this left.”
“Then I was like, that makes a whole lot of sense,” Freeman responded.
Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Makes Move Away from MLB Amid Retirement Chatter