I was really hoping we wouldn’t hear things like this about Jason Heyward’s concussion issues, but unfortunately it doesn’t sound good.
Following a collision at third base on Saturday, Heyward was placed on the concussion IL this week, and manager David Ross described what Heyward has been experiencing (Sun-Times):
Heyward has been dealing with several symptoms, including nausea, since the weekend. 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. “I think it’s concerning, and . . . 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 the scary part, you know? Some stuff we talked about. I don’t go into too much detail, but . . . we’re gonna just make sure he’s OK.”
I will not speculate on any particulars, but will say only that when it comes to concussions, you never like to hear about fogginess and nausea that lasts multiple days after the impact. It’s just a scary and uncertain injury for players, and you hope he can recover completely, even if it means he’s out the rest of this season. It might be a surprise at this point if Heyward does return.
Trayce Thompson came up to take Heyward’s spot on the roster, and might get some corner outfield starts before the season is up. Otherwise, we may see more of what we saw last night, with Alfonso Rivas getting a start in the outfield.