It’s looking like Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward may be returning sooner rather than later.
Heyward has been sidelined since April 3 with lower back tightness. But he says he is feeling good and was taking live batting practice as the Dodgers prepared to take on the San Diego Padres on Friday night, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
The veteran added that he will go through a more extensive day on Saturday featuring more live at-bats and five innings of defense. He will then map out some minor-league rehab games from there.
Los Angeles re-signed Heyward back in December. He initially joined the club as a free agent in 2022.
The Dodgers haven’t missed a beat in Heyward’s absence, as they have gone 26-13 and boast the second-best record in the National League. They own a 6.5-game lead over the Padres for first place in the NL West and are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into their series with San Diego.
Los Angeles has gone 14-2 after a disappointing start.
Jason Heyward has revitalized his career with Dodgers
Not many people knew what to expect from Heyward going into his debut campaign in Los Angeles last year, but he ended up having his best seasons in years.
In 124 games in 2023, Heyward slashed .269/.340/.473 with 15 home runs and 40 RBI. Not including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it was quite easily Heyward’s most significant offensive output since 2019. That year he flashed a .772 OPS with 21 long balls and 62 RBI with the Chicago Cubs.
Heyward also lived up to his sparkling defensive reputation, playing some solid defense in the outfield for LA. He ended up with a 2.3 WAR, his best mark since 2019. It also represented just the second time he has registered a WAR of 2 or better since 2016.
In a very small four-game sample size thus far in 2024, the 34-year-old has gone 3-for-14 with a couple of RBI.
Heyward was once one of the top prospects in baseball with the Atlanta Braves. Known for both his bat and his glove in the minors, the Ridgewood, N.J. native was viewed as a five-tool player in his early days.
He burst on to the scene during his rookie campaign in 2010, slashing .277/.393/.456 with 18 homers and 72 RBI. It looked like Heyward was going to live up to his billing, but instead, he ended up becoming a generally mediocre hitter, as he owns a lifetime OPS of just .749.
However, Heyward has won five Gold Glove awards, so he has always been a valuable player in spite of his historically disappointing offensive production.
The Dodgers don’t really need his offense all that much, either. They lead the majors in almost every major statistical category, pacing the league in batting average, runs scored and OPS. That’s thanks much in part to the triumvirate of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez, all of whom have been sensational through the first month-and-a-half.
All of that being said, Los Angeles would obviously still prefer to get Heyward back as soon as possible. He will certainly be a nice midseason addition to a club that unsurprisingly resembles a World Series contender thus far.
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