MIAMI — Jason Heyward was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list and play Tuesday, but the Braves’ young slugger had not swung a bat in more than two weeks and was probably still a few days from hitting off a tee.
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said he understood Heyward wanting to be healthy before he returns, but said the 21-year-old right fielder also needs to understand how important he could be to the Braves right now.
Heyward recently said that he wouldn’t return before his shoulder is completely recovered, that he learned his lesson from trying to play through injury as a rookie in 2010.
“There’s not [pat answers]; it’s within each individual player,” Jones said. “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. 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.”
Heyward last played May 21. For the past week he has rehabbed at the Braves’ extended-spring training site in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Utility players Eric Hinske and Joe Mather have split the playing time in Heyward’s absence.
Braves right fielders ranked last in the National League with a .225 average and .302 on-base percentage before Tuesday.
An MRI exam showed inflammation, but no structural damage. He had cortisone shots in the shoulder, rested for a few days, then returned to the lineup. A few days later, the pain was back and Heyward was placed on the DL and flown back to Atlanta from Anaheim on May 22 for a second MRI.
The second MRI was a dye-contrast type that produces more detailed scans. It also showed no structural damage, only inflammation of the labrum that the Braves characterized as “normal wear and tear.”
Manager Fredi Gonzalez initially expected to have Heyward back from the DL within a few days of the 15-day point, but Heyward continued to complain of soreness. Monday was the first day that he told team officials the shoulder felt significantly improved.
If Heyward has no setbacks hitting off a tee, then in batting practice or extended-spring training games, he could start a minor-league rehab stint.
“By that point he’ll be [out] almost three weeks, right?” Gonzalez said. “So you hate to run him back in there and hurt his legs or something. So when he’s ready to go, I’m assuming three rehab games, maybe.”
Uggla back in Miami
When Uggla returned to South Florida for his first game against his former team, he had majors-worst .172 batting average before Tuesday, with seven homers and only 16 RBIs.
One of the first questions from a Marlins writer was what Uggla thought about former teammate Hanley Ramirez’s similar slump. Florida’s All-Star shortstop was batting .210 with four homers and 17 RBIs. Ramirez went on the 15-day DL on Monday with a back strain.
“It looks like maybe we need each other,” Uggla said, smiling. “He’s going to come out of this thing, just like I’m going to come out of mine.”
Uggla was 5-for-60 (.083) with one extra-base hit (double) and one RBI in his past 18 games before Tuesday.
McLouth progressing
Center fielder Nate McLouth, on the DL recovering from an oblique strain, began hitting off a tee Monday and could begin a rehab assignment by the end of the week.
