Jason Heyward RUMORS & NEWS

MLB.com "As we count down the hours before Jason Heyward returns to the Braves lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Dodgers, can somebody please kindly remind me how to get from Sandy Springs to Turner Field? The Braves have played just six home games since Heyward was placed on the disabled..." May 17

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward was out of Triple-A Gwinnett’s lineup Friday, a day after getting six plate appearances as a designated hitter in his first injury-rehab game since an emergency appendectomy. “Little sore this morning,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said in an email. “Normal when getting up to..." May 11

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward has been walking on the treadmill and riding a stationary bike for the past two days and feeling more encouraged a week into his recovery from an emergency appendectomy. Heyward thought it might be late May before he was able to return but now he’s hoping for sooner. “I hope I don’t..." May 02

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Braves right fielder Jason Heyward underwent an appendectomy Monday night at a Denver hospital, the team announced just before 1 a.m. Eastern time. Recovery for appendix surgery is typically 2-3 weeks for baseball players, although Matt Halladay of the Cardinals and Adam Dunn of the White Sox..." April 23

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward figured he had something worse than a stomach virus when he could no longer lay on his side late Monday afternoon. A few hours later, the Braves right fielder underwent an emergency appendectomy at a Denver hospital. The laprascopic procedure was successful and manager Fredi..." April 23

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "I was leaving Marlins Park late Monday night when one of security guards who’s been with the team quite a while said to me, “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about facing Chipper tomorrow.” When I asked what he meant, he said, “He’s retired. He used to kill the Marlins.” Then I..." April 10

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman watched Braves icon Chipper Jones handle the “face of the franchise” role seemingly with ease in recent years. He knocked out the various unwritten duties of that post effortlessly, including dealing with the media during good and bad times, all while he fought..." March 16

Talking Chop "The Braves' outfield of Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, and Jason Heyward is perhaps the most exciting trio in baseball. All three possess a rare combination of power and speed. In fact, each one already has at least one 20-homer/20-steal season on his resume. Granted, 20/20 seasons are a lot more..." March 15

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward and “sore shoulder” in the same sentence causes some consternation among Braves fans, many of whom remember a shoulder injury undermined the right fielder’s second season in 2011. But after Heyward was scratched from the lineup Monday against Washington for a sore right shoulder,..." March 12

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Braves right fielder Jason Heyward hit a line-drive home run to left-center off of Jordan Zimmermann in the first inning Friday against the Nationals. That's not unexpected for Heyward, who entered Friday tied with six other players for the Grapefruit Lead in home runs. More surprising Heyward's..." March 02

MLB.com "It was easy to understand why Jason Heyward escaped a frustrating 2011 season with motivation to alter his swing and dedicate himself to an intense conditioning program. His decision to remain dedicated to this rigorous program after an impressive 2012 season simply enhanced visions of him living..." February 21

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "He's entering his fourth year in the majors, but really this is the first time Jason Heyward has had what could be considered a normal offseason. Before his 2010 rookie year in 2010, he was just 20 years old with no big-league experience and only 50 games (208 plate appearances) above the..." January 31

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward could get at least a six-fold increase in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and Braves teammate Kris Medlen also figures to receive a similarly major bump in salary in his first time up for arbitration. Heyward and Medlen are among six Braves eligible for arbitration,..." January 17

Talking Chop "This is the second in my series on possible extensions for the Braves' young core players. In the first post, I projected that Martin Prado should get a bit more than Dan Uggla got for his extension, or around $12.5 million per year (the TC readers' consensus: about $12M/year, give or take a..." January 03

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "While Jason Heyward has seen his all-around game get back to the level of his standout rookie season in 2010, he's putting up some eye-popping home run numbers. Heyward had hit two home runs in the Braves past three games entering Sunday to give him a career-high 27 on the season, nine more..." September 17

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward made himself at home again Saturday at AT&T Park, and Mike Minor showed again that he's the most improved Braves pitcher since the beginning of the season. Heyward hit a three-run homer in the third inning and Minor allowed only two hits before the seventh inning of a 7-3 win..." August 26

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Manager Fredi Gonzalez marveled at it during the Braves recent homestand. And it was pretty well on display last night in the series opener against the Phillies. Jason Heyward is a threat to score, simply standing on first base. By my tally, Heyward has scored from first base five times in the..." August 07

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "When Jason Heyward gunned down Rick Ankiel at second base Friday night it was his career-high sixth outfield assist of the season and his third in nine games. He nailed Jason Kubel at the plate to save Jair Jurrjens a run on Thursday night, and nabbed Mark Teixeira at home to save Tim Hudson a run..." July 01

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Braves outfielder Jason Heyward was named National League player of the week on Monday after hitting a scorching .522 (12-for-23) in six games, with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs. Heyward led the league last week in batting average and slugging percentage (1.130) and was fourth..." June 26

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Braves' best hitter in June bats seventh most of the time, and manager Fredi Gonzalez has no imminent plans to move Jason Heyward higher in the order. "He's been fine [where he is], and you kind of want to split up the left-handers," Gonzalez said before Friday's series opener against the..." June 23

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "To illustrate how skillfully Jason Heyward has handled all manner of pitches lately, Braves teammate Freddie Freeman pointed not just to the two-run homer Heyward hit on a slider from Yankees left-hander Boone Logan in the eighth inning Tuesday, but a pitch he fouled off on an earlier..." June 21

Talking Chop "It was a hot day in New York, with temperatures reaching up to 100 degrees on the diamond, and baseballs carrying like crazy. The Braves and the Yankees combined for 9 home runs, tying an MLB season-high for most in a single game. Fortunately for Atlanta, they came out on top, thanks in large part..." June 20

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "On a night when Atlanta's retiring third baseman had a tough error that cost a run and its veteran pitcher labored through five innings, it was youth that served a 4-3 win for the Braves against the sizzling New York Yankees. Rookie shortstop Andrelton Simmons drove in two runs and fellow..." June 20

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Martin Prado makes his offseason home in Miami, and Thursday night he and Jason Heyward helped the Braves complete an entirely satisfying visit to the city. Prado's two-run homer in the sixth inning gave the Braves their first lead of the night, then they poured it on with six runs in the..." June 08

Chicago Tribune "Plate umpire Chris Conroy issued warnings to both teams after Braves pitcher Eric O'Flaherty plunked David DeJesus in the seventh inning, after Jeff Samardzija hit Jason Heyward in the back in the top of the inning. Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez argued, and was ejected by Conroy. The Cubs..." May 08

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Not much will be as majestic as Jason Heyward's home run into the Braves bullpen on Opening Day his rookie season. But he took another joy ride to right field on Sunday afternoon on a shot 392 feet down the line, landing in the second tier of seats in the lower level. "That was pretty good..." April 16

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Braves fans concerned after Jason Heyward left Sunday's game in the fourth inning can breathe a little easier. It was apparently just cramping in his upper left leg. Manager Fredi Gonzalez replaced Heyward immediately and said he wouldn't be in the lineup Monday when the Braves play their final..." April 02

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Space Coast Stadium has been open for 18 years and, near as anyone can tell, only one homer's been hit where Jason Heyward put one Thursday. In the fifth inning of a 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Braves outfielder hit a monster home run to straightaway center that sailed over the..." March 30

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward began Wednesday batting .190 with a .250 on-base percentage for the spring, but by the end of the day there was plenty of reason for the Braves and their right fielder to feel good about the direction he seemed headed. He's had games recently that didn't look as good in the..." March 29

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward's first home run of the spring came against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday, and he added a line-drive double off the right-field wall in the same game. But in the other four of his past five games before Friday, the right fielder was 0-for-15 with five strikeouts...." March 17

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Braves sure haven't done much to fan the flames of the Stephen Strasburg phenomenon. Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward homered off the young Washington Nationals ace and the Braves scored four in four innings against him in a 6-5 Grapefruit League game Wednesday night. Uggla had a two-run..." March 15

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "When a reporter mentioned this week that Jason Heyward had dropped about 20 pounds during the offseason and asked Chipper Jones if he'd noticed a difference in Heyward's physique and how it affected his swing, Jones smiled and pretty much scoffed. For the record, the nearly 6-foot-5 right..." February 03

MLB.com "On April 5, 2010, Jason Heyward was 20 years old -- an age when most of his friends would have been coming off spring break and downshifting toward the end of the school year. Instead, Heyward was making his Major League debut at Turner Field -- the kid from suburban Henry County High School and..." January 29

MLB.com "Jason Heyward never thought he would be waking up by 8 a.m. on a regular basis during the offseason. But at the same time, the Braves' young outfielder never anticipated experiencing the kind of season that has motivated him to work harder than he ever has in preparation for the next..." November 20

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Last winter and at spring training, Braves general manager Frank Wren was asked if he would try to sign Jason Heyward to a long-term contract, as Tampa Bay did with Evan Longoria early in his rookie season and Milwaukee with Ryan Braun after his rookie year. Last week, Wren was asked about a..." October 05

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Two days after the Braves were eliminated from the postseason, Braves general manager Frank Wren shared his thoughts about where the Braves go from here. In a candid interview Friday with selected members of the media, Wren said he didn't envision Derek Lowe with a spot in the starting rotation..." October 01

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "While he's not back to being the absolute offensive force he was for much of his 2010 rookie season, Jason Heyward recently has sure been closer to that than to his lackluster performance for most of this seaon. And that resurgence is good news for the Braves and their 22-year-old right..." September 25

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "When Jason Heyward drew six walks in five games beginning Sept. 7 in Philadelphia, he showed Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez glimpses of his old self. That has prompted Gonzalez to start Heyward in 11 of the 12 games since, over the speedy Jose Constanza, with an eye toward getting Heyward going..." September 19

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "If you follow the Braves and/or spend much time around other Braves fans, maybe you've heard it. Perhaps in a hushed tone, with raised eyebrows as if the person saying it is implying, "I'm not saying I believe it, but…" If you've been online much, you've probably seen it on Twitter or in..." September 10

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Heyward hit a fourth-inning grand slam, the first of his career, and the Braves hung on to beat the Cubs 5-4 on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, pushing their winning streak to six games and their record to a season-high 26 games over .500. Braves closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth..." August 24

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Writing for ESPN Insider, Dayn Perry of FanGraphs asks the question many among us have asked: What happened to Jason Heyward? (Link requires registration.) Using the best data known to man and computers, Perry offers this telling snapshot: Heyward is trending in the wrong direction when it..." August 23

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Right fielder Jason Heyward was in the Braves' lineup Thursday night, and outfielder Jose Constanza was on the bench for the first time since joining the major league team. Since being promoted from Triple-A on July 29, Constanza caused a stir while hitting .385 in 18 consecutive starts - six..." August 19

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "For the fifth time in eight games, hot-hitting rookie Jose Constanza was in the Braves' lineup in right field instead of Jason Heyward on Tuesday, Heyward's 22nd birthday. Handling his recent part-time status better than some of his fans online, Heyward said he fully understood the move by..." August 10

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "By now, most of you have already seen the Braves lineup, and already deduced that Jason Heyward is out of the lineup today against the Nationals, even with a right-hander going in Chien-Ming Wang. It's the first time this season Heyward will sit for consecutive games this season for reasons not..." August 04

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The '97 Marlins were a free agent-infused bunch that had an abundance of swagger, plenty of power and speed in their lineup (Gary Sheffield, Moises Alou, Bobby Bonilla, Devon White, Charles Johnson, Jeff Conine), a potent bench (Cliff Floyd, Jim Eisenreich), a deep starting rotation (Kevin Brown,..." July 27

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Jason Heyward is back in the 2-hole today, back where he thrived last season. But he's there because Jordan Schafer jammed a finger sliding Wednesday night and was scratched from the lineup this morning when he couldn't swing without pain. With Schafer out of the leadoff spot today, Martin..." July 22