Dave Roberts puts his foot down with Freddie Freeman thanks to Dodgers NLCS Game 6 lineup

Battling through a sprained right ankle, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has struggled at the plate in the National League Championship Series. The injury appears to be taking a toll on him, so manager Dave Roberts has elected to remove him from the lineup for Game 6.

Max Muncy will man first base in Freeman's stead. Since the former had been playing third for the Dodgers, they shifted Kiké Hernández to cover for him. Subsequently, Chris Taylor will slot into second.

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Dave Roberts puts his foot down with Freddie Freeman thanks to new Dodgers lineup

Roberts left the door open for Freeman to get replaced following Los Angeles' 12-6 Game 5 NLCS loss to the New York Mets. Suddenly, the Dodgers skipper decided it was time to adjust accordingly after the latter went 0-for-5 and struck out twice in the team's latest defeat.

"I do think that [Freeman's] swing is not right," Roberts stated, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com. "I’m certain that it’s the ankle ... but it’s certainly an option to not have him in there for Game 6, yes."

Regardless of why Freeman isn't being his typically productive self, it's do-or-die time for the Dodgers. They're trying to close things out against the Mets and punch their ticket to the World Series. So, Los Angeles should be throwing their priors out the window, and kudos to Roberts for recognizing that.

As an eight-time All-Star and one-time MVP, Freeman getting benched is a harsh reality and a tough situation for Roberts. While the latter wants to give his standout slugger the benefit of the doubt, the team is vying for a title. Times like this are when difficult choices need to be made. Despite the 35-year-old's pedigree, something had to give.

Freeman has appeared in four of Los Angeles' five NLCS contests versus the Mets entering Game 5. During this stretch, he's batting .167 (3-for-18) with one RBI and four strikeouts.