By Chris Brown | STL Baseball Today
One day after exiting with what was later described by manager Mike Matheny as “more like a (hamstring) cramp than anything else,” outfielder Jason Heyward said he expects to return to the Cardinals lineup soon within the next few days.
Heyward told reporters after the Cardinals’ 2-0 loss to the Giants on Tuesday night that he’s dealing with some soreness and tightness, but structural damage has been ruled out. While he didn’t dismiss a potential return Wednesday, the 26-year-old said he thinks a return to the starting lineup on Friday – after the team’s off-day on Thursday – would seem to be most likely.
Starting in center field on Monday (for the first time since 2013) in place of Randal Grichuk, who was placed on the DL earlier that day, Heyward said that more pregame work than usual may have contributed to the hamstring tightness. He was putting in that extra work to try to get a better feel for center field at Busch Stadium.
See previous updates below for more information, and check back at stlbaseballtoday.com and follow @STLBBToday on Twitter for updates.
Heyward out of lineup Tuesday, but Matheny believes he won’t miss much time
8/19 @ 4:35pm: It appears the Cardinals will not have to send another outfielder to the disabled list, as manager Mike Matheny revealed on MLB Network Radio Tuesday afternoon that Jason Heyward is not expected to miss much time after exiting Monday’s game against the Giants after two innings due to left hamstring tightness (see full report below).
“He went through some tests, everything looks like it will be OK,” Matheny said. “We’ll likely go slow with him.”
“With the tests they did and reports that came back it looks even more like a cramp than anything else,” the manager told reporters shortly thereafter (via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “The protocol is to make sure there’s no sorts of tears or anything. Now it will be just how he feels and doctors testing him.”
Matheny added that Heyward could be available off the bench Tuesday night, depending on the outcome of his exams.
The 26-year-old Heyward is hitting .287 with 11 home runs, 24 doubles, and 18 stolen bases while appearing in all but four of the Cardinals’ 118 games this season.
Stephen Piscotty will handle right field in the second game of a three-game set against the Giants, with Tommy Pham in center and Brandon Moss patrolling right field (click here for the full lineup).
Previous report…
Heyward exits early with hamstring tightness, to be evaluated Tuesday
8/18 @ 8:13pm: Just hours after announcing that Rookie of the Year candidate Randal Grichuk had been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain, the Cardinals will once again have to turn to the next man up.
Jason Heyward, making his first start in center field since 2013, was removed from Monday’s game against the Giants after two innings with what the team announced as left hamstring tightness. Tommy Pham, recalled from AAA Memphis on Monday to replace Grichuk on the active roster, took Heyward’s place in center to begin the third inning.
Heyward could be seen stretching out his hamstring during an at-bat in the first inning and was removed shortly thereafter.
“He just couldn’t get it loose,” manager Mike Matheny told reporters, including KMOV’s J.J. Bailey, after the team’s narrow 2-1 win over San Francisco in the first game of a three-game series. “That was a reason for us to have concern, obviously, so we sent him upstairs to get stretched. It just didn’t get to the point where it felt like it was loose enough.”
Matheny emphasized that the team was just being cautious with the 26-year-old, and as of Monday night he didn’t anticipate any roster moves.
“We’re going to pause here. We’re not going to jump into anything, we’re just going to wait and see,” Matheny added. “We were being cautious today. Jason wanted to go back out there and play defense and see how it loosened up.”
The team should have better idea of how much time Heyward could miss after Heyward is evaluated on Tuesday.
“We are going to wait and see,” the manager said. We’ll have answers tomorrow.”
Feature image used under Creative Commons by Arturo Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
