ATLANTA -- When Braves manager Brian Snitker called Freddie Freeman into his office late Tuesday night and informed him he would not be in the lineup for Wednesday afternoon's game against the Red Sox, the All-Star first baseman acknowledged his annual desire to start every game might be detrimental.
"I feel like it's 2014 all over again, when I [played in] 162 games and I didn't have the second half I wanted," Freeman said. "In my mind, I don't ever want to take a day off. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around this right now. But when I think about 2014, I think Snit is making the right call. Sometimes, my stubbornness gets in the way."
Freeman, who had started in each of the Braves' 138 games entering Wednesday, was on his way toward matching the goal he reached in 2014 when he started each of Atlanta's 162 games. Over the past few weeks, he has also seen his National League MVP Award candidacy weaken, as he has trended much like he did during the second half four years ago.
Freeman's power has waned since the middle of June, but he still finished an Aug. 15 win over the Marlins hitting .323 with 20 homers and a .939 OPS. At the time, he was still considered by many to be the favorite in the NL MVP Award race. But his resume has been tarnished as he has batted .194 (14-for-72), tallied just four extra-base hits (three doubles and a triple) and produced a .553 OPS over his past 19 games.

"I want to be in there, but this could be the perfect time to recharge and have a nice little 20-game stretch until the end [of the season]," Freeman said.
Freeman tallied 15 homers with a 17.5 at-bats-per-homer ratio through his first 69 games this season, quieting concerns about the lingering effects of the fractured left wrist that caused him to miss seven weeks last year. He produced a 90.1 mph average exit velocity within this span, which ran through June 15.
"I'm not aware of anything physically with that wrist," Snitker said. "It's been pretty good really, comparatively to some of the other years, where he fights through it. I don't think that has had anything to do with it. Usually, in those situations, I end up hearing about it indirectly, and I haven't."
But there has at least been reason to wonder about Freeman's wrist, as he has slugged .406 and totaled five home runs with a 54.2 AB/HR ratio over his past 69 games. He has produced a 87.6 mph average exit velocity within this span.

Freeman's average exit velocity was 90.7 mph in 2015 and 91.3 mph in '16. The 104 balls he put in play before fracturing his wrist last year had a 92.3 mph exit velocity. That number dropped to 88.5 mph over the remainder of the '17 season.
Still while the recent power numbers and exit-velocity readings may create cause for concern, Freeman has remained adamant about the health of his wrist.
"The wrist is completely fine," Freeman said. "I haven't felt any pain in my wrist all year. I feel great. The treatment has gone almost completely away. It's just more of a maintenance issue and I really don't do that anymore. I haven't felt pain in my wrist all season. I feel great."