Due to a back issue, Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward missed 40 games before playing again last week.
Heyward finished 1-for-3 with a two-run home run as the Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds in his first game action since late March.
Heyward disclosed the challenging path back to game activity following the match.
Heyward has swiftly established himself as an L.A. clubhouse mainstay. He guides the team’s younger outfielders in addition to serving as a vocal leader. James Outman finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award race the previous season with a short left-handed stroke akin to Heyward’s.
With a 33-18 record, the Dodgers are second in the National League. This season, in seven games, Heyward is 5 for 24 (.208) with a home run, four RBIs, and a stolen base.
The 34-year-old’s primary role upon returning to the Dodgers will be platoon outfielder. The Dodgers picked up Vargas in addition to Heyward to play in the outfield as a natural platoon with Pages and Teoscar Hernández.
Vargas is most known for his stint with the major league team from the previous season. He was the starting second baseman for the Dodgers for the first part of 2023. Regretfully, Vargas was unable to establish himself and was sent down before the trade deadline.
The Dodgers will now rely on these two players to strengthen their bottom half of the lineup. Maybe that unit might see a little improvement with the departure of Outman and the inclusion of Heyward and Vargas.
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