CHICAGO -- Jason Heyward knows how much the All-Star Game would have meant to Atlanta this summer. The Cubs' outfielder grew up outside the city and was fortunate enough to break into the big leagues with his hometown Braves.

Major League Baseball's decision to pull the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta surprised Heyward, but he got behind the move after hearing the reasoning.

"I know there's a lot of people in Atlanta that love baseball," Heyward said, "and were looking forward to seeing an All-Star Game, a Midsummer Classic. I think that's special, as somebody growing up there and watching a lot of baseball.

"But, at the same time, I think when you talk about a message to people that are still out here pushing for equality ... it was nice to see."

The decision by MLB came a little more than a week after the passage of SB 202, a Georgia law that President Joe Biden recently criticized, saying that it will restrict voting access for residents of the state. MLB has not yet announced a new host city for the All-Star Game.

"It's a pretty strong statement that MLB's making," Cubs manager David Ross said, "and why they're making it: to support equal voting rights for everyone. I think I would definitely agree with that. Pretty big step for Major League Baseball to move the All-Star Game, so kudos to them."

In MLB's statement on its decision, Commissioner Rob Manfred noted that The Players Alliance was one of the groups engaged in conversation prior to the decision. Heyward is on the Major League player committee for The Players Alliance.

Heyward said Saturday that it was important to him and other players that MLB remain committed to the community projects and initiatives that were planned for All-Star Week in Atlanta. MLB said in its statement that it would move forward with its planned investments to support the city's local communities.

"If the game stayed in Atlanta or if it moved," Heyward said, "we wanted to make sure that, if it did get moved, that we had our presence felt in Atlanta."