Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has made headlines recently with his desire to play for the Boys in Blue for four more years before he retires.

But he’s not planning on taking things easy as he enters the final few years of a Hall of Fame career.

Freeman said for the 2026 season, he wants to play all 162 regular season games, and manager Dave Roberts told the media Tuesday he thinks that is exactly what might happen.

“I think he should prepare to play 162,” Roberts said. “I think most guys should, and you kind of adjust from there, but that’s the way he’s wired.”

Nagging Injuries Have Limited Freeman’s Production

When a reporter brought up Freeman’s relative dip in production over the past couple of seasons, Roberts jumped to his star’s defense, explaining that the 36-year-old Freeman was hindered by injuries, not age.

“I think he takes such good care of himself,” Roberts said. “I think that age is an easy one to point to, but I really believe that he’s been dinged up for two years. Right now, today, is as good as I’ve seen his swing over the course of a week sample, than I have in two years. He’s in a good spot physically, mechanically, if we can keep him healthy, I don’t see why he can’t have the year he expects and with that, with everything that he went through the past couple years, he was still very productive. That says a lot about, for me, [his] character.”

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Does Freeman Have Four More Years in Him?

Roberts also said that while Freeman is doing a good job of staying focused on the present season, he’s doing what he needs to in order to be able to fulfill his wish of four more seasons.

“With Freddie, the brain works, the care is there,” Roberts said. “The mechanics, it’s a sound swing, it’s a short swing. I think he can be productive for four more years for sure.”

That longevity would require a contract extension, as Freeman’s current deal is set to expire after next season.