Prior to Thursday evening, there was faint hope that Jason Heyward would return to the lineup for the Atlanta Braves before the end of the regular season. However, according to Ken Rosenthal, that possibility is out the window:
Player agents aren’t necessarily the most reliable/unbiased sources with regard to injuries, but with Rosenthal in the mix, this report seems credible. The stated 4 to 6 week timeline for Heyward’s return is relatively in line with the right-fielder missing the rest of the regular season, and with the Braves holding a massive division lead, it makes sense.
Heyward was officially placed on the DL on Thursday afternoon, and the Braves appear poised to finish out the regular season without him. However, he was playing the best baseball of his career (.960 OPS with 6 HR since the All-Star break) when he went down, and it would be a dire blow to Atlanta’s World Series aspirations if he couldn’t return at full strength for the playoff run.
The impact of the Heyward injury won’t be felt in the grand scheme until the calendar turns to October, but for Braves fans, I’m not sure that eases the pain of his absence.