Padres make tough Jason Heyward decision amid injury problems
The San Diego Padres are hoping to get more production from their outfielders as the season approaches the halfway point. They have seen leftfielder Jason Heyward struggle with his offensive production throughout the season, and he was designated for assignment prior to the Padres game Saturday against the American League's Kansas City Royals.
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While Heyward will no longer contribute to the Padres, the team reinstated right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing from the 60-day Injured List. They also optioned right-hand pitcher Sean Reynolds to Triple-A El Paso.
Heyward started the season as the Padres' starting leftfielder. However, his offensive production did not warrant a spot on the roster. He had been on the injured list twice during the season and Heyward was slashing .176/.223/.271 with 2 home runs and 12 runs batted in. He struck out 20 times and earned just 6 bases on balls.
The Padres had signed Heyward in the offseason with the hope that he would deliver reasonable offensive production to go along with his noted leadership and defense, but the Padres rarely received the kind of production needed to keep Heyward in the lineup going forward.
Heyward continues to battle an oblique injury, and he could wait for a team to claim him after he recovers from the injury.
Padres trying to track down Dodgers, Giants in National League West
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Padres have had aspirations of wresting control of the NL West from the Dodgers since the start of the season. They currently have a 40-35 records and find themselves 6.0 games behind the division-leading Dodgers. He also trail the second-place San Francisco Giants by 2.0 games.
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The Padres have dropped seven of their last 10 games, and they saw the Giants add slugger Rafael Devers in a trade with the Red Sox, so it seems likely that general manager A.J. Preller would like to add a power bat of his own to bolster the Friars' outfield.
That may explain the timing of the Heyward move. To this point in the season, the Padres have depended on Fernando Tatis Jr. , Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado for the bulk of the team's power hitting this season. Tatis leads the Padres with 13 home runs, while Machado and Sheets have each belted 12 long balls to this point in the season.
The Padres need to demonstrate more power on a consistent basis if they are going to catch both of their division rivals in the second half of the season
Related: Padres' Michael King provides confident injury update
Related: Dodgers, Padres get suspensions after scuffle
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