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The Los Angeles Dodgers made a tough decision this week when they designated Jason Heyward for assignment, and it sounds like the veteran outfielder is taking it quite hard.
Heyward became the odd man out in L.A. when Chris Taylor returned from a groin injury he suffered last month. On Saturday, Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman was asked for an update on how Heyward is doing. Freeman had a very blunt response.
“I don’t think he’s talking to anybody. I mean, would you guys be wanting to talk if you got fired from your job?” Freeman asked reporters. “I’ve had three text messages (from him), and that’s three more than a lot of other people (have gotten).”
Asked how Jason Heyward is doing, Freddie Freeman said, "I don't think he's talking to anybody. I mean, would you guys be wanting to talk if you got fired from your job? I've had three text messages [from him], and that’s three more than a lot of other people [have received]."
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) August 24, 2024
Heyward, who was named an All-Star in 2010 and has won five Gold Glove Awards, had been a popular veteran with the Dodgers over the past two seasons. He also delivered a huge pinch-hit home run that helped lift the Dodgers to a win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Heyward hit just .208 in 63 games this season, however, and the Dodgers chose to keep Kevin Kiermaier on the MLB roster instead.
After having a resurgent year by hitting .269 with 15 home runs, 40 RBI and an .813 OPS last season, Heyward signed a one-year, $9M deal with the Dodgers over the winter. He may have felt he did enough to deserve a roster spot for the remainder of the year.
More must-reads:
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Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on August 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
Micah Parsons situation gets uglier with Jerry Jones' comments on star's status
The ongoing contract dispute between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys has reached a boiling point, and team owner Jerry Jones does not seem confident that it will be resolved before the start of the regular season. Jones was asked at training camp on Tuesday if he is confident that Parsons will be on the field when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles for their season opener on Sept. 4. As he often does, the 82-year-old gave a blunt response. "No, absolutely not. A big part of that is his decision," Jones said. "How would I know that? I’m just saying. But I’m urgent.” Parsons is still under contract with the Cowboys, as he is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie deal this season. He has very little leverage from a contractual standpoint, but he could go the nuclear route by giving up a game check and sitting out Week 1. He could also do more to force a trade between now and the start of the season. Parsons publicly requested a trade on Friday following what has turned into an ugly back-and-forth between him and the Jones family. It is highly unlikely that the Cowboys will trade Parsons, and many prominent members of the media have predicted a deal will still get done. For now, both sides seem as dug in as possible. Jones' refusal to make any predictions about Parsons playing in Week 1 is another reminder of that.
Green Bay Packers: Strong Reactions Erupt After Unofficial Depth Chart Release
The Green Bay Packers have finally updated their 2025 depth chart, and there’s a lot to unpack about it. There are unsurprising details like Jordan Love being the No. 1 quarterback and Josh Jacobs being named as the top option in the running back room. Those are simply giveaways. At the same time, there is also compelling information from the depth chart that may or may not leave fans surprised. For one, the wide receiver pecking order has exciting rookie Matthew Golden behind Jayden Reed, who is listed as a starter alongside Dontayvion Wicks. Meanwhile, the left tackle depth chart has Rasheed Walker in front of Jordan Morgan. Of course, it is worth reiterating that this is an unofficial depth chart and that there are still big possibilities of changes on it, as the 2025 NFL season nears. Fans react to Green Bay Packers’ first unofficial 2025 depth chart Rob Demovsky of ESPN also shared the depth chart, and it’s garnered quite a reaction from fans online. “Golden should be starting, wicks and Doubs are average at best,” said a fan on X. Another one said: “Forgot we signed Hardman. Have heard absolutely nothing on him this camp” From a commenter: “Bob I just woke up from a 2 month coma why is Bo Melton under the CBs” “Why tf is Golden a backup slot wr…,” a triggered social media user posted. Via a different commenter: “Jordan Morgan still can’t crack the starting lineup. Awesome waste of a first round pick ” Said another: “Why do the packers always try so hard to phase their rookies in instead of just playing them. They did the same with cooper was last year when all the fans were begging to play him. Golden better be a starter week 1”
Positive update emerges on Bears TE Cole Kmet after injury scare
Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet exited Tuesday's training camp practice with an injury, sparking concern within Bears Nation about the veteran leader's prognosis. And while we don't have a concrete update as to what the nature of Kmet's injury was, there was some good news shared by CHGO's Adam Hoge as to the severity. "Good news on the injury front as it sounds like Cole Kmet avoided a serious injury after leaving practice today with a trainer," Hoge tweeted. Kmet faces competition for targets in Ben Johnson's offense from first-round pick Colston Loveland, who, by all accounts, has been having an outstanding training camp. If Kmet is sidelined for any period of time, Loveland will have a massive opportunity to emerge as the top pass-catching tight end much sooner than anyone would've expected. Cole Kmet ended the 2024 season with just 47 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns. It was a significant regression from 2023, when he totaled 73 catches for 719 yards and six scores. It's been well-documented that Kmet's struggles were more about failed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's misuse of him, but he isn't getting an entirely clean slate under Johnson in 2025. Sure, Kmet will resume a major role in the Chicago Bears' offense, and his standing as one of the locker rooms legitimate leaders remains unchanged. But, like most players, Kmet doesn't want to become second-fiddle to a rookie. However, it's a reality that seems inevitable. The Bears selected Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick after the former Michigan Wolverine jumped off the film as an athletic, pass-catching mismatch. He's the type of player Ben Johnson covets, as evidenced by his usage of Sam LaPorta over the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions. It's unfair to expect Loveland to have as big of an impact during his rookie season that LaPorta had (LaPorta scored 10 touchdowns), but there's no doubt he'll make a sizable contribution, regardless of Kmet's status on the depth chart.
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