Veteran Jason Heyward DFA’d by Dodgers amid roster crunch

The Los Angeles Dodgers, dealing with a roster crunch, designated veteran outfielder Jason Heyward for task on Thursday.

Heyward, a well-respected clubhouse presence who has struggled with rare enjoying time, turned the odd man out with Chris Taylor activated off the injured checklist. With the transfer, the Dodgers primarily selected to maintain heart fielder Kevin Kiermaier as their solely left-handed hitter off the bench. Taylor and fellow superutility man Enrique Hernandez have been additionally perceivably on the bubble.

Rival groups now have seven days to assert Heyward off waivers, in any other case he will probably be launched and grow to be a free agent. Heyward, who could be owed the prorated portion of his $9 million wage, may be postseason eligible as long as he joins one other group earlier than the tip of August.

Heyward slashed solely .208/.289/.393 in 197 plate appearances throughout his second season with the Dodgers. However his final at-bat was a memorable one — a pinch-hit, eighth-inning three-run homer that received Tuesday’s recreation towards the Seattle Mariners. Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts later referred to as it “the spotlight, for me, of the season so far.”

Now 35, Heyward was a extremely regarded prospect who was drafted 14th total out of highschool and have become a sensation with the Atlanta Braves in his early 20s. Heyward received 5 Gold Gloves, made an All-Star group, collected 115 house runs, stole 101 bases and signed a $184 million contract whereas with the Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs from 2010 to 2017.

His most well-known second got here close to the tip of that stretch, when his speech throughout a rain delay in Recreation 7 of the 2016 World Sequence helped propel the Cubs to victory, ending a 108-year championship drought.

However accidents and inconsistencies continued to plague Heyward over the subsequent half decade, prompting the Cubs to launch him late within the 2022 season with one other full 12 months remaining on his contract. The Dodgers subsequently signed Heyward to a minor league deal on the behest of fine buddy Freddie Freeman and watched him present an .813 OPS with 15 house runs in 124 video games in 2023. They then introduced him again on a significant league deal, however his manufacturing wasn’t the identical.

Now, he’ll possible be part of one other playoff contender.