Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward suffered an injury to his right torso and abdominal region against the San Francisco Giants on Friday when Denard Span hit a ball that looked destined for extra bases in right-center field. Heyward spread out to make a diving catch, landed hard on his shoulder and then made contact with the wall, staying down and rolling in pain while clutching his side.
It is uncertain exactly when Heyward will be ready to return to the field.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Heyward’s Playing Status
Saturday, May 21
Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reported Heyward will miss three to five days with a contusion to the ribs area, but he won’t hit the disabled list.
Heyward Comments on Injury, to Undergo Additional Testing
Saturday, May 21
“Uncomfortable, in pain, but relieved nothing is broken,” Heyward said, per Rogers. “MRI [on Saturday] to see what else is going on in there.”
Rogers noted Heyward had an ice wrap around his waist and said he was in pain but hoping for the best.
“My lower rib bone and hip bone hit each other,” Heyward said. “Got pushed up against the wall, and that was it.”
Maddon Comments on Heyward‘s Catch
Saturday, May 21
“That might have been the game right there,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per Rogers. “As crazy as it might sound, if that falls, that’s probably an inside-the-park home run, and all of a sudden they have a different vibe about them.”
Heyward Important to Cubs’ Long-Term Success
The Cubs pulled off one of the biggest coups of the offseason when they signed Heyward away from their biggest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Chicago signed him to a team-record, eight-year, $184 million deal.
Adding the 26-year-old wasn’t the proverbial final piece of the puzzle, but to a certain extent, the move firmly cemented the Cubs’ transition from a relatively young, rebuilding team to one that aspires to end its historic World Series drought, which dates back to 1908.
Given his overall consistency since he entered MLB with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, signing Heyward, even for $180 million-plus, looked like a good deal for the Cubs. However, Heyward has struggled offensively at the start of this season. He’s hitting .225 with one home run, 14 runs batted in and a .282 slugging percentage.
Chicago is deep enough across the board that it could get lackluster production from its biggest investment and still be a title favorite. Losing Heyward altogether would be a different issue, though, especially with Kyle Schwarber out for the rest of the year.
When Heyward missed time earlier in the year with a wrist injury, Maddon turned to Jorge Soler to patrol left field, with Kris Bryant moving from third base to right field.
While Maddon may not move so many pieces around following Heyward‘s latest injury, Soler is the likeliest candidate to take over the vacant spot in the starting lineup.
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