ANAHEIM -- Braves right fielder Jason Heyward was scratched from the lineup again on Saturday night with recurring soreness in his right shoulder, and this time manager Fredi Gonzalez was concerned.
Heyward said the shoulder became sore again while he was sitting on the bench during the series opener against the Angels, shortly after taking batting practice.
He didn’t play Friday night because Gonzalez had decided to rest him. Heyward had played three consecutive days after receiving a cortisone injection for rotator-cuff inflammation.
“I am a little worried,” Gonzalez said. “I am [concerned] for him, because he wants to play. … To play three and then have it hurt again, there’s something in there, something that’s not right.”
Heyward missed five starts last week after soreness in his non-throwing shoulder became worse. He said the shoulder has bothered him since spring training, but turned worse a week ago, even hurting him to swing.
He said the soreness was in the same area, but not as painful.
“I guess I aggravated it some in BP [Friday] and it was sore during the game," he said. "It felt pretty good swinging, but afterward it got pretty sore. [It] felt about the same today, so we decided we’d see the doctor and see what we’ve got.”
Heyward has hit just .214 with seven homers, 14 RBIs and a .317 on-base percentage in 44 games, including .098 (4-for-41) with no RBIs and 15 strikeouts in May.
Braves doctor Joe Chandler is with the team on the trip and planned to examine Heyward again before Saturday night’s game at Angel Stadium.
After receiving the shot last week, Heyward was limited to a couple of ninth-inning defensive stints and a pinch-hit appearance in five days. He returned to the lineup Tuesday and went 2-for-12 in three games before Gonzalez told him Friday he wanted to rest him for a game, and then play him Saturday and Sunday.
When Gonzalez saw him in the clubhouse Saturday afternoon, Heyward told him the shoulder was sore.
“He was in the lineup, and I expected him to play. ... He did his normal treatment that he does every day, and he said, ‘Skip, it hurts. I just can’t get the thing loose,"' Gonzales said. "That’s all I need to know.”
