Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in 2019. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
When the Atlanta Braves begin their truncated 2020 regular season with an afternoon showdown Friday against the New York Mets, longtime Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman doesn’t know whether he’ll be on the diamond with his teammates after his recent bout with COVID-19.
The Braves announced on July 4 that Freeman, along with teammates Will Smith, Touki Toussiant and Pete Kozma, had tested positive for the virus. Freeman revealed in a video conference call on Saturday that, at its worst, his fever reached 104.5 degrees. He also had body aches, chills, headaches and a temporary loss of smell and taste.
Freddie Freeman says his "scariest night" while battling COVID-19 was when his fever spiked to 104.5 degrees.
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 18, 2020
It was prayer that gave Freeman comfort when doubt crept in about whether he would survive the ordeal.
“I said a little prayer that night,” Freeman said on the conference call. “I’ve never been that hot before. My body was really, really hot so I said, ‘Please don’t take me.’ I wasn’t ready.”
The 30-year-old said his fever broke after a couple of days and that Saturday was his ninth consecutive day without symptoms. The day before, he had received his second negative coronavirus test, which gave him clearance to play.
Freeman said his experience has helped him to see the joy of playing baseball, even with the pressure of being ready for MLB’s opening day.
“I feel like I’m a kid in a candy store again,” ESPN quoted him as saying on Saturday. “You forget sometimes how much you love this game. I did truly miss it. I was so excited when I got to the yard.”
Just like God comforted Freeman during his challenge with COVID-19, He did the same when Freeman lost his mother to melanoma at the age of 10.
During a time in his life when he seemingly had nothing but questions, as Freeman recounted to Priority Magazine, God granted him a realization about the loss of his mother.
“My mom was in pain, and He took her to a nice place, and she’s not in pain anymore,” he said. “I finally truly believed that a couple of years later. Then I was just like, ‘I have to do this for Him because He did what’s best for my mom.’ Faith plays into it a lot.”
Freeman has been with the Atlanta Braves organization since he was drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft. He made his MLB debut in September 2010 and has since made four All-Star appearances (2013, 2014, 2018, 2019), won a Gold Glove Award in 2018 and a Silver Slugger Award last year. His career batting average is .293 and last year he set career highs with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Brewer Hicklen celebrates a double, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
It was always Brewer Hicklen’s dream to play for the Atlanta Braves. After somewhat of a journeyman major league career, the Huntsville, Alabama, native is getting to live that out.
The Braves signed him last November, and after spending much of the season in Triple-A, the 30-year-old outfielder was recalled to the major league squad July 12. He made a career-high 20 MLB appearances this season and is now a reserve outfielder getting his first taste of the MLB playoffs. He’s appeared in three postseason games, coming in each time as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, and made his first plate appearance in Tuesday’s 3-1 Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He doesn’t have the biggest role on the team by any stretch, but he’s arguably one of the most vocal about his faith in Jesus. Ahead of Monday’s Game 2, he recorded a video inside Dodger Stadium reflecting on the moment of being in the postseason with his childhood team while also trying to remind himself and anyone watching to keep such things in their proper perspective.
He had just read 1 John 2:17, which says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
“I can’t help but to think that as a man who’s, in the worldly view, I’m living the dream,” he said. “It’s so important for me to remain steady and make sure my pursuit of my dream never misaligns with the purpose that God has given me, and that’s to love God, to love people and to have fun doing so. And to let everybody know how incredible it is to walk with Christ.
“So don’t forget today to go make a difference in your inner circle. What has God done in your life lately that you can share with others and impact them?”
Hicklen logged 10 hits in his 20 regular-season appearances this year, including five doubles, and drove in three runs. But his calling card throughout his career has been his speed. In nine pro seasons across all levels, he’s racked up 287 stolen bases. His career high was 44 in 2024 for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, and he also logged 40 steals in 2021 for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He had 30 steals this season for Triple-A Gwinnett before the Braves called him up.
That speed is where the Braves have found the most value for him on the roster — especially as pinch runner. Perhaps his most impactful moment this season was scoring a game-tying run on Sept. 11 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Braves ended up winning in the 11th to earn a big late-season win against their division rivals.
“Whatever they need, I want to do the best that I can,” he said after that game. “To be able to call my name in that opportunity was really special … to be in that position was incredible.”
Hicklen posted earlier that week about how he hopes to use any opportunities he gets in baseball to point people back to Christ.
“So grateful to live out this dream alongside my family,” he wrote. “After years of obedience, I’m blown away by the doors He has opened and the opportunities He’s given me. Since I know tomorrow is not guaranteed, I’ve held onto this verse: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ My prayer has been to use every opportunity to share the Gospel, spread His love, and point others back to Him.”
During his baseball journey, he was able to baptize several of his teammates in 2024 and 2025. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2017, Hicklen made his major league debut on May 26, 2022, and spent six games with the Royals before being traded to the Phillies organization in August 2023. He then signed with the Brewers organization in November 2023 and said in 2024 that God placed him in Nashville for such a time as this, referring to the opportunity to baptize and witness to teammates.
“I just asked God, ‘Place me somewhere where You feel like I could have some influence and have some opportunity to make eternal connections with some teammates,’” Hicklen told Sports Spectrum in 2024.
He’s now hoping this extended stay with the Braves that has lasted into the postseason is the start of more regular time in the majors, but either way he hopes to use his platform to point people to Christ. On Sept. 20, ahead of a game against the Houston Astros, he shared some thoughts from 1 Peter 2:1-3.
“I think God knows a lot of people are a Christian when it’s convenient,” Hicklen said in the video. “But He’s challenging us to be desperate at all times — to seek after and want to grow in our faith. Like a baby, they can’t grow without milk and the nutrients that it provides. And with the metaphor of milk, like a believer you cannot grow without the Word of God speaking to you and God penetrating your heart.”
He then challenged anyone watching with a question: “Are you a Christian when it’s convenient, or are you in desperation of learning more about the One who uniquely created you for a specific purpose?”
Hicklen and the Braves take the field at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday in a win-or-go-home Game 4 against the Dodgers in Atlanta.
Andy Pettitte in March 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
THIS IS THE GET IN THE GAME PODCAST
HOSTED BY SCOTT LINEBRINK
Our guest today is Andy Pettitte, a New York Yankees legend who played 18 years in the majors — 15 with New York and three with Houston. He was a five-time World Series champion and three-time All-Star.
From left: Dodgers players Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts, Blake Treinen, Justin Wrobleski, Evan Phillips and Alex Call at Faith Day, Sept. 20, 2026. (Photo via Instagram/@acad_8)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched their fifth straight National League Division championship and now have their sights set on October, where they hope to become just the third franchise to win three consecutive World Series titles. There’s loads of talent up and down the roster, and there’s also a strong core of believers who are vocal about their faith in God.
Six players — utility man Tommy Edman, star outfielder Mookie Betts, reliever Blake Treinen, starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski, reliever Evan Phillips and outfielder Alex Call — joined team chaplain Brandon Cash for Faith and Family Day on Sunday, where they shared their testimonies and how their faith guides them as professional baseball players. It’s an annual event many teams hold, like the Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates.
All six are regular attendees of team chapels and seen as leaders in the clubhouse as much as they are on the field. Call, for example, was traded from the Washington Nationals to L.A. at the trade deadline last season. Cash said he was excited because he heard Call was the spiritual leader in the Washington clubhouse, and he’s since carried that over to the Dodgers.
His testimony mirrored many of his teammates’ in a lot of ways in that he grew up in church with parents who modeled what it looked like to have a strong faith. Like a lot of believers, once he was on his own in college and then as a professional player, he had to decide if his faith was his own or just something he believed because his parents did.
“That’s where it kind of became real for me,” Call said. “I went from, ‘Yeah, I don’t do this or this because I’m a Christian’ to ‘God calls us all to be disciple makers. He calls us all to love and to be a blessing.’ That’s where I turned it up a notch and try not to be ashamed of the Gospel or anything else — just glorify Jesus in my daily life and on the field.”
Wrobleski had a similar upbringing thanks to a mother who set an example and raised him in the faith.
“It’s been a journey for me,” he said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were ups and downs with my faith and God trying to show me things and get me back to where I need to be. Every time I feel like I’ve been down in my life or I feel like things aren’t going the way that I want, it’s just God showing me I need to get back to the Word and pray.”
A first-time All-Star this year, Wrobleski has been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers and a mainstay in the rotation, making 22 starts with a 3.70 ERA. The Dodgers could use him either in the rotation or as a long reliever in the postseason like last year.
He shared that a verse that’s stuck with him lately is Romans 12:12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
“That’s something I’m trying to live out right now,” he said. “It’s a journey. Knowing Jesus obviously gives you that peace when you’re out there. For me, it’s big before the game. It’s a super big blessing to pitch for the Dodgers, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes with it. Just knowing that the results aren’t always what matters; it’s just giving your performance to the Lord, good or bad, and that’s kind of been something I’m trying to do this year.”
That pressure is felt by all the players. They know the expectations that come with playing in L.A. They know their team is loaded with talent and high-priced players.
Edman — who shared that his faith grew substantially when he was in college at Stanford thanks to faith mentors and involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes — said he handles the scrutiny of playing pro baseball by remembering that his identity is in Christ.
“As a baseball player, one of the big struggles that we have is our identity being tied up in our performance on the field or being just a baseball player,” Edman said. “Baseball is such a crazy long season and a rollercoaster of emotions that you can go up and down like crazy.
“I have my identity rooted in my role as a son of God and a follower of Jesus Christ. I always have that in my foundation. Not to say that helps me perform on the field, but it definitely allows me to have that inner peace regardless of how I’ve done on the baseball field.”
Each player has a different background that led them to where they are personally and professionally, and that’s something that makes the chapel dynamic unique, Cash said. For example, Betts didn’t really grow up in the church like some of his teammates did. He spent most of his weekends playing baseball, and going to church just wasn’t much of a priority.
“As I got a little older playing ball, I kind of wanted the sense of purpose, because ball is just an avenue to show what God has given me and given all of us,” said Betts, an eight-time All-Star. “Once I wanted to learn my purpose, I think going to chapel, getting to know Cash, getting to know these guys has really changed my life completely. These are literally like my brothers. Obviously we’ve grown playing baseball and winning together, but I think we’ve grown the most in our Bible studies and our chapels on Sundays.”
He said he just read through 1 and 2 Kings, where he read about King Soloman and how he was wise and felt on top of the world. Betts saw some similarities to pro baseball.
“When you’re on top of the world and everything’s going great, but you lose what’s important, which is God, you kind of lose everything,” he said. “No matter how good or bad I do, I make sure to give glory to God and I make sure that every day I pray and give glory to Him because everything we have here is for Him.”
Treinen, who’s now in his seventh season with the Dodgers, shared that he sort of begrudgingly attended church growing up. His mother was a member of the worship team, which meant he often spent all morning and part of the afternoon at church when he would’ve rather been home watching football.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve greatly appreciated the stubbornness and consistency that my mom put in my life for me and my brother to take us to church on Sunday,” he said. “It was a lot as a kid, but it built a structure of faith and a standard of worship in life.”
He recalled a moment at a youth conference at the University of Tennessee where he said he “felt the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit just rock me and put me in my seat.” He recounted how Christians should always be able to give an answer for the hope they have in Jesus, and that experience is what he goes back to when explaining where he first believed.
“We all have the right to believe what we want,” he said. “But when you see the truth and the facts and the tangible hand of God in your life, it separates just wanting to be a good person and knowing Jesus is real, to ‘this is absolute.’ I’ve experienced the presence of the Father and I will forever with my life.”
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Clay Holmes, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Clay Holmes got a taste of the World Series experience in 2024 with the New York Yankees, but he and his team came up short of winning the whole thing.
He’s now with the Chicago Cubs, where both he and the team’s front office hope his addition to the starting rotation could mean a deep run in October.
The Cubs acquired Holmes from the New York Mets at the MLB trade deadline last month, and in his seven starts with Chicago he has a 2-3 record and a 3.46 ERA. Between the two teams, he’s 6-7 on the year — but with a 2.85 ERA and a 2.4 wins above replacement rating, which is the highest of his career.
“It’s been a very easy transition for me,” Holmes told the Chicago Sun-Times last week. “Everything’s about winning. You’re in that competitive environment, and you get to focus on and do the things that you want to do. It makes showing up to work a lot of fun every day.”
The 33-year-old made his major-league debut in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he spent the beginning part of his career as a reliever, including when he was traded to the Yankees in 2021. New York used him as a high-leverage reliever and closer, logging 20 saves and earning his first All-Star Game selection in 2022. He racked up 24 saves in 2023, then 30 in 2024, when he earned his second All-Star Game selection.
He then moved across town to the Mets ahead of the 2025 season and was converted to a starting pitcher. In his first year being stretched out, he logged a 12-8 record with a 3.53 ERA over a career-high 165.2 innings pitched. He has continued to flourish in his second year as a starter.
The Cubs are clinging to a 1.5-game lead in the National League wild-card race. Should they reach the postseason, they”ll have a number of options for starting pitchers, including Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and David Peterson, in addition to Holmes. That means the Cubs could employ Holmes out of the bullpen. He’s ready either way.
“When the lights get brighter and the games become more meaningful, the rest of everything else kind of drowns out. From my experience, that’s what you crave,” Holmes told reporters last week. “It’s a drug. It’s all you want is just to care about this one game in front of you, and that’s all that matters.”
His mindset has been formed by a mixture of his upbringing, his path to the major leagues and his faith in God. He’s the son of a preacher, which means — fair or not — he grew up under perceived heightened pressure and expectations to live a certain way. But that helped prepare him for the pressure of playing professional baseball.
He was drafted out of high school, so he knew it would take a while to make it to the majors. But Tommy John surgery delayed that process by another year or two, leading him to spend about seven years in the minors before getting the big-league call-up.
But that experience tested his faith and perseverance, he said.
“It’s a lot of bus rides. A lot of patience,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2023. “But I kind of knew what I was signing up for. I knew that being in high school I was a pretty raw talent, so there’s going to be some refining that needs to take place. It was maybe longer than I wished, but I look back on a lot of those years and I met a lot of great people.
“You go through things with some teammates that really just remind you why you play the game. … There’s a lot of moments in those seven years that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Plenty of players who have faced similar setbacks and delays have retired before realizing their MLB dream. The grind can become too taxing. For Holmes, it was his faith and God that helped him stay focused and grounded.
“My confidence, my identity, who I am and what I can do is not really tied into some title that’s given to me,” Holmes told MLB.com in 2024. “Obviously it’s an honor and a great thing, but knowing who I am, knowing what I’m capable of and the pitcher I can be — the person I am — those things weren’t stripped away.”
His faith grew even deeper right before he was traded to the Yankees, where he wanted to embrace being a living sacrifice for God.
“When you become that living sacrifice, there’s a freedom that comes with it that allows you to just display the talents and the uniqueness that God’s given you — and the identity you have in Him — in a way that’s much greater than you can do on your own,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast.
And it was during his All-Star season of 2022 when he learned how to rest better. A passage he leaned on was Psalm 23.
“For me, it’s a mental thing of just learning how to rest in those things and trust that God’s brought you to a place and He’s going to continue to lead you,” he said. “You can find a lot of rest in that.”
Holmes will make his next start on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, then make one more scheduled start before the end of the regular season.
