The Braves have had more than their share of injuries this season. This one might be the biggest.

They have have lost six players to season-ending surgeries, including a veteran starting pitcher (Tim Hudson), two relievers (Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters) and an infielder who seemed on the verge of playing his way into the starting second base job (Ramiro Pena). Jason Heyward might have been more important than any of them.

Heyward suffered a fractured jaw Wednesday when he was hit with a 90-mile an hour fastball from New York Mets pitcher Jon Niese. Beanballs have been in the news lately, but Niese’s wild pitch clearly was accidentally and he looked almost sick when Heyward was plunked and went down to the ground.

The Braves announced later that Heyward’s jaw was fractured in two places and he will be out for four to six weeks. That might be the best-case scenario. Here’s why: When somebody has a broken jaw, they tend to lose weight and strength. That happened to Heyward earlier this season when he had an appendectomy, and he was slow to get his strength and his hitting stroke back.

Heyward’s loss arguably is more significant than even Hudson’s broken ankle because of the void he had filled as a leadoff hitter. While he's hitting only .254 this season, he was moved to leadoff in the batting order about three weeks ago. Both he and the team took off. For the season, Heyward is hitting .349 with a .417 on-base percentage at the top of the order.

The leadoff spot had been the Braves’ most glaring weakness by far. Until Heyward was moved there by manager Fredi Gonzalez, they struggled with inconsistency and an ability to score runs without hitting homers. The fact they have won 20 of their last 24 is due to Heyward’s productivity almost as much as great starting pitching. Presumably, Jordan Schafer will hit leadoff now.

There are less than six weeks remaining in the regular season. If Heyward makes it back in time for the start of the playoffs, there is a chance he will not be a full strength.

The Braves have been a resilient team this season. But Heyward’s injury might be their biggest test of all.

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