Jason Heyward has been walking on the treadmill and riding a stationary bike for the past two days and feeling more encouraged a week into his recovery from an emergency appendectomy. Heyward thought it might be late May before he was able to return but now he’s hoping for sooner.
“I hope I don’t have to wait that long,” Heyward said. “I’d be disappointed if I had to be out that long.”
Heyward is planning to start taking dry swings Saturday, two days ahead of when he planned to start doing baseball activities. If all goes well, he’ll add some catch and light running too.
He said he has spoken to teammates like Ramiro Pena who have had the surgery, as well as hitting coach Greg Walker, who was in Chicago when Adam Dunn rushed back from his appendectomy in 2011 and had the worst season of his career.
“Everybody is telling me to take my time,” Heyward said. “You’ll know (when you’re ready), but it’s still not something to rush. You can end up having a hernia or oblique strain.”
