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The Los Angeles Dodgers decided to designate right fielder Jason Heyward for assignment on Thursday, leading to much speculation on how his teammates felt about it.
The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman shared his thoughts on the move Saturday, saying that the DFA move “felt like 2014 all over again,” in reference to Heyward's trade from the Atlanta Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Freeman's comments came amid Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitting the move was a “tough” one for the Dodgers franchise. Freeman stopped short of speaking negatively about the decision and instead chose to focus on how it made him feel.
“It's above my pay grade about what the decisions and all that stuff are, but just personally, it's sad,” the Dodgers' veteran first baseman said, adding that Heyward has not been very talkative since the move happened.
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
Dodgers set to face Rays in Los Angeles
The Dodgers found themselves on a five-game winning streak Saturday heading into a 9:10 p.m. ET clash with the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.
Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to face Rays starter Taj Bradley in a battle of two pitchers with relatively sparkling ERAs. Clayton Kershaw is at 2.63 on the season in limited action while Bradley has a 3.55 ERA. Kershaw must be on top of his game if the Dodgers are to hold off a Rays team that is in desperate need of a win to avoid falling out of the American League playoff picture any further.
Taj Bradley has struck out 114 batters in just over 101 innings on the season for the Rays, who found themselves with a .500 record heading into the matchup. Meanwhile, Dave Roberts' Dodgers are 77-52, 3.5 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and 4.5 games ahead of the Padres in the National League West.
Their 42-22 home record is the best not just in the National League but in all of baseball, making them a popular pick among sports bettors to win on Saturday night and perhaps sweep the series with another win over the Rays on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
