Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman nearly retired after his youngest son Max's sudden hospitalization with Guillain-Barré syndrome in July.

The first baseman’s rib injury is not as severe as the one he played through last fall, but the Dodgers opted to keep him out of the lineup as a precaution again Wednesday.

In the grand tradition of athletes willing to lay it all on the line, one Dodgers superstar was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice—only to be overruled by those with, let’s say, a better sense of timing.