Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: Heyward Dodges A Bullet
Jason Heyward got good news Saturday, and he’s not going to look this gift horse in the mouth.
An MRI Saturday showed Heyward suffered a bruise near his right rib and hip and nothing more serious that would have required a trip to the 15-day disabled list. As it is, Heyward will likely be sidelined three to five days.
But he said that prescribed timeline won’t be the be-all and end-all for his return to the field.
“I listen to my body, regardless of what the doctors are telling me,” Heyward said Saturday. “You have to listen to your body.
“I have to be smart. It’s May. We’re not in September right now. We’re working toward that, but it’s not the time to push it.”
Heyward suffered the injury diving for a fly ball in Friday’s game. He landed hard on his hip and ribs while making a spectacular catch on the warning track.
With Heyward out Saturday, Ben Zobrist slid from his post at second base to right field, with Javier Baez getting the start at the keystone. In the days ahead, the Cubs could also use Tommy La Stella at an infield position and put either Zobrist or Kris Bryant in right.
But after receiving bad news on Kyle Schwarber earlier in the season, the Cubs are surely just glad they won’t have to make due without their All-Star right fielder for too long.
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Kelly Feels ‘Different’ In No-Hit Bid
Joe Kelly came back with a vengeance Saturday.
The right-hander, making his first start since leaving an April 19 with a shoulder injury, no-hit the Indians over 6 2/3 innings before a Juan Uribe double ended his day. Kelly struck out seven while walking three on the afternoon.
After the game, Kelly said the strengthening work he did on the shoulder made a difference in the way he felt as the game went on. Kelly was routinely hitting 97 mph with his fastball in the later innings and touched 98 mph, saying this 98 mph “was a different 98.
“I feel like it might be the same velocity, but I feel like it’s spinning a lot quicker and it’s getting by hitters if I miss location it used to not just because the strength is there,” Kelly said.
Kelly had a good spring with the club, posting a 2.63 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 24 innings of work, but struggled out of the gate before leaving his third start of the season with a right shoulder impingement. To work toward a return, Kelly did two-a-day workouts to strengthen the muscles around his right labrum.
The results on Saturday were promising, but he’s had good stretches before. The telling thing will be whether the newfound strength will lead to consistently better results as the season wears on.
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Braun Aiming For Sunday Return
Staring a potential trip to the disabled list in the face, Ryan Braun instead said he hopes to be back as soon as Sunday.
Braun didn’t play Saturday for the sixth time in seven days, but he said the lower back stiffness that has held him hostage felt “significantly better” when he woke up Saturday morning.
“It feels better,” he said. “I could tell when I first got up this morning. It was progressing, just slowly. When the facet joints lock up like that, I have to do everything I can to wait for them to unlock. A lot of heat, a lot of (electrical stimulation), some light massage, stuff like that.
“There’s not much we could do until it loosened up. Today was the first morning I woke up and felt significantly better.”
Braun, of course, has dealt with back issues in the past. He underwent offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back, an issue that he managed during spring and the early part of the season.
“It’s been great all year,” he said. “My hope is the farther I get away from surgery, the better it continues to get, the stronger it continues to get, and the more I’ll get that core strength and stability back. Knock on wood, until this it’s been great. Hopefully, this is a little bump in the road and I can get back in there soon, and then continue to get better and better.
“When I had the surgery, they told me it’ll be a full year before I feel like it’s 100%. There’s still scar tissue and stuff in there that won’t heal for a full year. So, this is common. Until now, it’s been good. I don’t think it held me back (previously). I think I’ve been playing as well as I ever have.”
To that end, the 32-year-old has hit .364/.429/.576 with seven homers, 28 RBI and 21 runs scored when he’s been in the lineup. With the Brewers not planning on contending in 2016, they’ll give their MVP as much time as he needs to get healthy and return to the lineup for good.
National League Quick Hits: Mets manager Terry Collins said Matt Harvey “looked very good” in a simulated game on Saturday. He wanted to see Harvey throw Saturday before penciling him in for Tuesday’s start against the Nationals. Collins noticed improved velocity from Harvey and also praised his arm angle and movement, saying the right-hander “feels good about what happened” … A sore right hamstring kept Hunter Pence out of the Giants’ lineup Saturday. Pence was available to pinch-hit, manager Bruce Bochy said, and he’ll likely be back for Sunday’s series finale … Jung Ho Kang left Saturday’s game against the Rockies with left hand discomfort. He suffered the injury on a play at home plate, and the Pirates are calling Kang day-to-day … Lucas Duda (back) was scratched from the Mets starting lineup on Saturday. Duda missed several games during the week with a back injury and it appears that the issue isn’t going away any time soon … Christian Yelich (back) was scratched from Saturday’s game against the Nationals. He’s dealing with back spasms and should be considered day to day until otherwise noted … Alex Wood was feeling it Saturday, striking out a career-best 13 hitters against the Padres. His previous single-game high was 12, which he did twice as a member of the Braves during the 2014 season … Mike Leake stayed on a roll Saturday, spinning seven shutout innings in a win over the Diamondbacks. Leake is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in his last three starts … Adrian Gonzalez returned to Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday against the Padres. He missed three games earlier in the week because of back stiffness earlier in the week but returned as a pinch-hitter Friday night, lining out in his only at-bat … Jay Bruce (knee) expects to play on Sunday. He was a late scratch Saturday against Seattle. Bruce’s knee is sore from running into the wall Friday night but it looks like the injury will only cost him one game … The Padres will activate Andrew Cashner (hamstring) from the disabled list on Tuesday. He’ll return against the Giants Tuesday with James Shields following him on Wednesday. A strained hamstring caused Cashner to miss a couple turns in the starting rotation but it was never anything serious.
American League Quick Hits: Shin-Soo Choo (hamstring) will be out at least through Sunday. Choo returned from the disabled list Friday night but was lifted in the third inning because of hamstring soreness. He reported some improvement Saturday but not enough to play in Sunday’s series finale … Yu Darvish (elbow) is expected to make his season debut Saturday against the Pirates. He’ll be good to go as long as he makes it through his rehab start Sunday for Double-A Frisco. Darvish has looked terrific during his rehab assignment, earning a stellar 1.29 ERA over four starts. The 29-year-old is 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery … the Royals activated Mike Moustakas from the 15-day disabled list. The third baseman went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his return … Kevin Kiermaier was diagnosed with two broken metacarpal bones in his left hand. The Rays should know more on his status Monday when Kiermaier meets with a hand specialist, but a stint on the disabled list is definitely in the cards … X-rays on Ketel Marte‘s sprained left thumb came back negative. Marte wants to avoid a trip to the DL, but Chris Taylor has been summoned to Cincinnati and the young shortstop may find himself on the 15-day shelf come Sunday … Josh Donaldson‘s afternoon ended very early Saturday, as he was tossed in the first inning of the Jays’ loss to the Twins … Felix Hernandez tossed six scoreless innings in a 4-0 shutout of the Reds on Saturday. Hernandez gave up just four singles while walking three in the win, improving his ERA to 2.21 … Mookie Betts went 3-for-5 with two homers and five RBI in Saturday’s win over the Indians. Betts is now tied with teammate Jackie Bradley for third in the American League with 33 RBI … Michael Fulmer struck out 11 while allowing one run over seven innings in a win over the Rays on Saturday. The 23-year-old is starting to show why the Tigers coveted him as the centerpiece for Yoenis Cespedes at last year’s trade deadline … Matt Shoemaker seemed to have figured something out Saturday, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time since August 4 of last season.
