CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tyler Freeman hustled into second base Tuesday, taking advantage of a bad throw by Rochester RedWings right fielder Donovan Casey with some good, fundamental baserunning.
When he arrived back in the dugout at the end of the fourth inning, Columbus Clippers manager Andy Tracy benched him.
“I was kind of thinking, you weren’t running hard enough,” Tracy told Freeman. “We’re gonna have to pull you from the game.”
Freeman, 23, the No. 6 prospect in Cleveland’s farm system, took the benching in stride.
“In the back of my mind I’m like, ‘I got to second. I know if I wasn’t running hard I would’ve stayed at first base,’” Freeman said. “I never told him that, and I never would. But I thought, ‘You know, I respect your decision. It is what it is.’”
Tracy didn’t let his ruse linger too long.
“Take a seat on the bench and think about how you’re gonna get to Cleveland tonight because you’re getting called up,” Tracy told Freeman.
It was all Freeman could do to keep from falling over in disbelief.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Freeman said. “I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ And now I’m here.”
Here is Cleveland, where the 6-foot, 190-pound shortstop by trade is now the Guardians’ utility infielder. Freeman batted .279 (83-for-297) with seven doubles, six home runs, 44 RBI and 51 runs scored after beginning his season in Columbus on April 29. Manager Terry Francona says to expect Freeman to move all over the diamond. he has experience playing short, third and second this season for the Clippers.
But first, Freeman had phone calls to make. He dialed his parents in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and had an emotional exchange that lasted 30-45 minutes. Then, it was a whirlwind trip to Cleveland in order to make it in time for Wednesday’s afternoon game against the Diamondbacks.
“My Dad, I could hear him tearing up a little bit,” Freeman said, “He was right next to my mom and they were tearing up, for sure.”
While the Freemans boarded a red-eye flight to Cleveland, along with 15-20 friends, high school coaches and family members, Freeman found it tough to sleep.
“I got in probably at 12:45 a.m. from Columbus and yeah, probably went to bed around like 1-1:30.”
When he arrived at the park, Freeman was greeted by some familiar faces. Several guys he has played with in Columbus are already on the Guardians roster. He becomes the 12th player to make his big league debut with the club this season.
“It’s the faces I had FaceTime calls with about a week ago,” Freeman said. “Friends that I’ve played with growing up through the minor league system, and it definitely makes it a lot more comfortable.
Freeman spent the 2020 season at the club’s alternate training site in Lake County and endured multiple shoulder surgeries in his climb through the farm system after being selected 71st overall in the 2017 draft by Cleveland.
“Second time around was a little more tough than the first in my opinion,” Freeman said. “It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions during that rehab process. You have doubts. Everyone goes through it.”
Freeman said teammates such as Josh Naylor, who went through a tough rehab from a season-ending broken ankle last year, encouraged him throughout the rehab process and coached him to stay strong.
“Especially after his freak accident, I’m gonna listen to him saying stuff like that,” Freeman said. “You’ve got to stay strong, get through it and take each day day by day.”
Francona said the coaching staff is pretty familiar with Freeman from seeing him in spring training the last several years, but his arrival is an opportunity to get to know him better.
“He has a little presence about him for a young kid,” Francona said.
Other young kids in the club house have prepared Freeman for what he will face in the big leagues.
“They just tell me it’s the same game, and in reality it is,” he said. “We’re playing a kid’s game. It might be different people out there – maybe a little older group – but it’s still the same game. You’ve got to have fun out there more than anything.”
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