The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed veteran outfielder Jason Heyward on the injured list, as announced on Major League Baseball's official website on Tuesday.
“Heyward was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 30, due to lower back tightness. ”
The 34-year-old Heyward last saw action during last Saturday's 6-5 loss in the penultimate leg of the four-game series at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. He then missed the first two games of the following Dodgers series at home versus National League West division rivals San Francisco Giants.
Dodgers to play without Jason Heyward
The back issue troubling Heyward this early in the 2024 MLB season had forced him to get some tests and while the scans did reflect negative results, he is still going to be away from action for some time, as he looks to recover as fast as possible from the injury.
In four games played so far in the 2024 MLB campaign, Heyward has gone just .214/.200/.214 with two RBIs. He went 1-for-5 with a strikeout in the loss to the Cardinals.
Amid Heyward's injury and designation to the injured list, the Dodgers made another move, claiming outfielder Taylor Trammel from the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, perhaps as depth insurance in the event that Heyward would need time away from the action to heal up.
It is uncertain at the moment how exactly the Dodgers will utilize Trammel, but he could be part of a platoon to cover the void temporarily left by Heyward. Also, he is just a career .168 hitter with 15 home runs and 39 RBIs as well as 39 walks across 351 plate appearances in 116 games with the Mariners from 2021 to 2023.
The Dodgers also have other options in the right field in the forms of Chris Taylor, Mookie Betts, Enrique Hernandez, and Teoscar Hernandez.
In any case, the Dodgers remain a formidable squad. They have won six of their first eight games of the season and are on a three-game win streak. They're just a win away this Wednesday evening from their first series sweep of the year before hitting the road to face one of Heyward's former teams, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field.
With an offense that features the three-headed monster of Betts, Freddie Freeman, and offseason acquisition Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers should not have much trouble finding and generating ample offense without Heyward, who started his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves(14th pick overall in the 2007 MLB Draft) and played as well with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Heading into the Giants game on Wednesday, the Dodgers are second in the entire big leagues with an OPS of .862 — just behind the Braves (.890). The Dodgers also lead the MLB with 12 home runs along with 80 runs scored — though it must also be noted that they started the season earlier than most teams, having played the San Diego Padres in a series in South Korea before Opening Day.
Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner and a one-time All-Star, has been with the Dodgers since the 2023 season and signed a new one-year deal with Los Angeles worth $9 million back in December, ensuring his return to the talent-laden NL powerhouse. In his first season with the Dodgers in 2023, Heyward racked up 15 home runs to go with 40 RBIs across 377 plate appearances and 334 at-bats, while posting slash lines of .269/.340/.473.
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