Times wires
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
MIAMI — Braves RF Jason Heyward needs to learn how to play through pain before he can take a leadership role, veteran 3B Chipper Jones told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Heyward, 21, out with a sore right shoulder, was eligible to be activated Tuesday but has said he doesn't want to return until he's completely healthy.
Jones, 39, a likely Hall of Famer who has played through injuries frequently during his 18 seasons, said the second-year slugger needs to realize how important he is to the Braves, even if he isn't 100 percent.
"I think where Jason might have erred was the comment that he made, 'I'm not coming back until it doesn't hurt anymore.' That has a tendency to rub people the wrong way," Jones told the newspaper. "And we understand where he's coming from; he wants to be healthy when he plays, so he can go out and give himself the best opportunity to be successful. I get that.
"What Jason needs to realize is that Jason at 80 percent is a force, and Jason at 80 percent is better than a lot of people in this league. And that there are a bunch of his teammates that are out there playing with discomfort and not healthy, and still going at it."
A year after finishing second in the NL rookie of the year voting to Giants C Buster Posey, Heyward has struggled, batting .214 with a .317 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage in 45 games.
OBITUARIES: Former big-leaguer Jose Pagan, who drove in the eventual winning run for the Pirates in Game 7 of the 1971 World Series, died Tuesday. He was 76. … Former Tigers OF Jim Northrup, who hit a decisive two-run triple in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series, died after having a seizure at an assisted living facility in Grand Blanc, Mich. He was 71.
GRACE ARRESTED: Longtime Cubs 1B and current Diamondbacks broadcaster Mark Grace was arrested in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Memorial Day on suspicion of driving under the influence.
BLUE JAYS: 3B Brett Lawrie, one of the team's top prospects, has a nondisplaced fracture in his left hand and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Lawrie was playing at Triple-A Las Vegas and was considered close to a promotion.
MARLINS: RF Mike Stanton, in a 1-for-14 slump with seven strikeouts, was held out.
NATIONALS: RF Jayson Werth missed his second straight game with an injured ankle.
PADRES: Prized 1B prospect Anthony Rizzo is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Tucson today. Rizzo is batting .365 with a .715 slugging percentage and .444 on-base percentage at Tucson. … C Nick Hundley was activated from the 15-day DL, and OF Blake Tekotte was optioned to Double-A. … RHP Dustin Moseley was hurt while batting in the fifth inning, grabbing his left shoulder and falling after popping up. There was no immediate word on the injury.
RANGERS: Hitting coach Thad Bosley was fired and will be replaced by Scott Coolbaugh. Bosley replaced Clint Hurdle before this season after Hurdle was hired to manage the Pirates. … 2B Ian Kinsler went on the paternity list. His wife, Tess, gave birth to a son, their second child.
RED SOX: RH reliever Bobby Jenks is going back on the 15-day DL with tightness in his back, and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia was sent to the hospital because he was feeling sick.
ROCKIES: INF Jose Lopez was released a week after being designated for assignment.
WHITE SOX: RHP Jake Peavy went on the DL with a mild groin strain three days after leaving his most recent start.
YANKEES: RHP Joba Chamberlain went on the 15-day DL with a stiff elbow, leaving the bullpen short. Former Rays closer Rafael Soriano is out with inflammation in his right elbow. … 1B Mark Teixeira was in the lineup a day after being hit on the right kneecap by a pitch. But C Russell Martin was out because his back locked up the night before.