Heyward took a knee to the head on Saturday against the Giants before leaving the game.
PHILADELPHIA – The Cubs placed outfielder Jason Heyward on the 7-day concussion injured list before Tuesday’s game against the Phillies. Heyward was injured on Saturday against the Giants, taking a knee from shortstop Brandon Crawford while sliding into third base. He would receive medical attention from the team’s training staff before leaving the game.
Heyward has been dealing with several symptoms since the weekend, including nausea. Manager David Ross dealt with concussions throughout his career and knows how serious they can be for a player.
“He’s banged up,” Ross said before the game. “I think it’s concerning and you want to look, I mean, it’s a sensitive topic for me. But I think that the trainers and the doctors and everybody’s on board.
“He’s just a little foggy and there’s some nausea in there in moments, which is like the scary part, you know? Some stuff we talked about. I don’t go into too much detail, but he’s … we’re gonna just make sure he’s okay.”
The team selected the contract of outfielder Trayce Thompson from Triple-A Iowa to take Heyward’s place on the roster. Thompson, 30, who debuted with the White Sox in 2015, hasn’t appeared in a big-league game since 2018. He’s slashing .235/.344/.483 with 21 homers and 61 RBIs in the minors this season.
To make room for Thompson on the 40-man roster, outfielder Michael Hermosillo was moved to the 60-day injured list after a season-ending left forearm strain.
Keegan Thompson getting close
Right-hander Keegan Thompson threw another bullpen session on Tuesday. Thompson, who is currently on the 10-day IL with right shoulder fatigue, appears ready to come off the IL sooner rather than later.
“He threw a pen today, and looked really good,” Ross said. “Kind of did a little mini sim game in the bullpen. [We] had him up and down for two innings. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and kind of kind of go from there. But hopefully get him back in the near future, as long as everything goes well.”
Thompson is 3-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 30 games (four starts) this season.
Heyward named Roberto Clemente Award finalist
Heyward was named the Cubs’ 2021 Roberto Clemente Award finalist on Tuesday as MLB announced the list of 30 finalists for the award. The Cubs’ outfielder has been a major contributor in Chicago communities since he arrived in November 2015.
In August, Heyward and his wife, Vedrana, helped break ground on a 150,000-plus-square-foot state of the art facility in the city’s Austin neighborhood. The facility will house the home of the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy.