Dodgers DFA Jason Heyward, activate Chris Taylor
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The Dodgers have designated veteran outfielder Jason Heyward for assignment, the team announced Thursday. In a corresponding move, the team activated utilityman Chris Taylor.
Heyward hit .208 with six homers and a .682 OPS in 63 games with Los Angeles this season and also dealt with injuries that limited his availability. That followed a 2023 season in which he enjoyed somewhat of a career rebound, hitting .269 with 15 homers and an .813 OPS after signing with the Dodgers as a Minor League free agent following a release from the Cubs.
The Dodgers' move to designate Heyward for assignment comes two days after he hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead three-run homer in a 6-3 win over the Mariners.
For his career, which began with fanfare when he homered in his first MLB at-bat with the Braves in 2010, Heyward has hit .257 with 180 homers and a .748 OPS. He won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016, famously giving a speech to the team during a rain delay in Game 7 en route to the end of the team's 108-year championship drought.