‘It’s so much bigger than the game:’ Bryce Harper shows support for Freddie Freeman and his son, Max

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman hit a single in the third inning on Monday, ran to first base, and saw Bryce Harper waiting for him. Harper gave him a hug. The Los Angeles Dodgers infielder’s son, Maximus, had recently been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune condition that affects the body’s nerves and can cause paralysis. He missed eight games to be with his son. Monday was his first day back.

When Freeman took his at-bat in the first inning, catcher Garrett Stubbs stepped away from the plate to give him some time. He received a standing ovation from fans and players in both dugouts. It was an emotional moment.

“I’m just very thankful for the baseball community for lifting up Max in prayer and love and support,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be a long journey for him, but it’s a beautiful thing that he’s on the path to recovery.”

Harper had known of Freeman for a while, but really got to know him in 2014, two years after his big-league debut. The two exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. When news came out about Max’s diagnosis, Harper reached out via text.

It meant a lot to Freeman.

“Bryce probably texted at least four times during the nine days, really checking in,” he told the media on Monday. “Just the whole Phillies team, obviously Bryce, every single guy that got there today, very, very nice.”

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It was a no-brainer for Harper. He has three young children of his own and couldn’t imagine the pain of seeing one’s child on a ventilator. So he decided show his support.

“Whenever you hear about somebody’s kids or anybody that’s going through something — there’s nothing more important than having healthy children,” Harper said. “There’s a lot of things in life that you wish, you want, but the biggest thing is making sure your family is healthy. So when you see someone else going through that … kid is relentless too, so that helps, obviously. Max is doing well now. Freddie’s pretty upbeat about that.

“I was checking on him, obviously. It’s so much bigger than the game is, and I love Freddie as a human being, as a person, and his whole family, Chelsea, and all of his kids. He’s a good person. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. Check in on Max, too.”

Freeman told the media that his son is at home and doing physical therapy. The doctors have informed him that Max is going to make a full recovery. Harper is happy to hear it — and was happy to see his friend have his moment.

“He deserves it, obviously,” Harper said. “Being able to finally cheer for him and let him know we’re all thinking about him. Not just the people in the stands, but, obviously, players as well. I bet I wasn’t the only one who texted him or talked to him. But I love Freddie, man. He’s a great person, and he deserved that yesterday.”

Manager Rob Thomson said Ranger Suárez’s bullpen session went well on Monday. Suárez has been sidelined with lower back soreness and will throw an up-and-down bullpen session on Thursday. The Phillies will reevaluate him after that. … Taijuan Walker (right index finger inflammation) was scheduled to throw a final rehab start on Tuesday in Lehigh Valley, but the game was rained out. The Phillies are going to reschedule it, but Walker no longer will be able to make a start in the Phillies’ upcoming series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.