4 years agoAtlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is not among the starting nine for Friday’s contest versus Boston and right-hander Chris Mazza. Austin Riley will shift over from the hot corner to cover in his place, with Ozzie Albies shifting back up the batting order to the No. 2 slot. Freeman is in the thick of the National League MVP race after having compiled a 1.081 OPS this year, leading the Majors with 49 runs scored and 22 doubles. Should he remain on the pine for the entirety of the contest, it would mark his first absence in 2020, with Atlanta likely to get him back in the lineup Saturday with the postseason around the corner.--Jesse Borek
Source: MLB