The Houston Astros officially signed free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward to a one-year deal on Thursday and designated pitcher Janson Junk for assignment in a corresponding move to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The Astros continue to look for platoon help in right field with Kyle Tucker (shin) still out, especially after they optioned Chas McCormick to the minors on Thursday. Tucker is expected back at some point in September, but until then, the 35-year-old Heyward could see ample playing time in right field against right-handed pitchers in Houston. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can leave Heyward to the waiver wire, but he could be an interesting short-term flier in AL-only leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers cut Heyward recently after he hit just .208/.289/.393 with a .682 OPS, six homers and 28 RBI in 173 at-bats this year.

The Houston Astros are close to signing free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward, who was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a source. Heyward slashed just .208/.289/.393 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 63 games with the Dodgers earlier this year and also missed considerable time due to an injury. The 35-year-old former 14th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2007 became expendable when All-Star Mookie Betts returned from a fractured hand in LA and returned to starting duties in right field. If Heyward were to join the Astros' big-league roster, he'd be in a platoon role with Chas McCormick, at best, in right field until Kyle Tucker (shin) is able to return from a long stint on the injured list. A change of scenery may be what Heyward needs, but it's still unlikely to make Heyward suddenly attractive in mixed fantasy leagues down the stretch.

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor (groin) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and designated outfielder Jason Heyward for assignment in a corresponding move. Taylor will return to the Dodgers after landing on the shelf in late July with a strained left groin. Both Taylor and Heyward have been pretty dreadful offensively in 2024, but the 33-year-old Taylor at least offers versatility at other positions on the infield. Taylor will return to a .167/.277/.265 slash line with an abysmal .542 OPS, three homers, 15 RBI and three steals. Continue to ignore him in mixed fantasy leagues. Heyward, meanwhile, loses his 40-man roster spot after already seeing his playing time dwindle in right field after Mookie Betts returned from a fractured hand. The 35-year-old has hit .208 (36-for-173) for the Blue this year with six homers, 28 RBI and four steals.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward hit a pinch-hit home run in his only at-bat to lead his team to victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Heyward hit the home run off Mariners closer Andres Munoz in the bottom of the eighth inning and then remained in the game for defense. The veteran has struggled for the most part this season in a platoon role and is hitting .208 with six homers, 28 RBI and four stolen bases over 173 at-bats. Despite his late-game heroics, Heyward finds most of his time on the bench and is best served as a defensive replacement. He can safely remain on the waiver wire in all formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (knee) was activated off the 10-day injured list on Sunday, July 21, according to Jack Harris of the LA Times. The 34-year-old hit the injured list early in July due to a left knee contusion. In a corresponding move, James Outman was sent back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Heyward has held a .203/.299/.398 line with four home runs across 42 games this season. The former World Series champion will likely be in the starting nine against all right-handed pitchers and is already back in the lineup this evening as the Dodgers face Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford. Heyward is best left off your DFS lineup this evening, as Crawford has held a stellar 2.11 ERA and 0.76 WHIP across his past six starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (knee) is likely to be activated from the injured list following the All-Star break. The veteran outfielder landed on the injured list earlier this month due to a left knee contusion. It sounds like Heyward is making progress and won't require a rehab assignment before heading back to Los Angeles. He's slashing .203/.299/.398 with four home runs this season. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore Heyward for fantasy purposes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed outfielder Jason Heyward (knee) on the 10-day injured list with a left-knee contusion, according to manager Dave Roberts. The good news is that Heyward's meniscus and ligaments are intact. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled outfielder James Outman from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 34-year-old Heyward could be back shortly after the All-Star break as a left-handed-hitting platoon outfielder for LA. Heyward has only 118 at-bats in 2024 due to injuries and is hitting a weak .203/.299/.398 with four homers, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored. Outma, 27, was sent to the farm in May and hit .285/.396/.556 with 10 homers and 22 RBI in 182 plate appearances for Oklahoma City. He figures to see occasional starts against righties. On Friday, Miguel Vargas enters the outfield picture in left field and will bat seventh for the Blue.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (knee) left Thursday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with discomfort in his left knee. Heyward landed awkwardly after trying to rob a home run in the first inning and left the game after the second inning. After the game, manager Dave Roberts said that Heyward will get an MRI tomorrow and won't be in the lineup. If the injury is serious, James Outman could get recalled to the majors to replace Heyward. Outman has been hitting the light out in Triple-A and could be an interesting pick up, especially in deeper formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux and outfielder Jason Heyward are both out of the lineup on Thursday with the team facing left-hander Ty Blach and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Chris Taylor will take over at second base and bat ninth, while Teoscar Hernandez is in right field and batting cleanup for the Blue. Miguel Vargas will draw into left field and bat in the seven-hole. Taylor has hit .286 with an .833 OPS, a home run and four RBI in 28 career at-bats against Blach, but he's in the nine-hole and has hit just .115 (11-for-96) this year with a homer and nine RBI. Hernandez has never faced Blach in his career but is nevertheless an attractive DFS play in the heart of the Dodgers' batting order at hitter-friendly Coors Field. He's hitting .253 (20-for-79) with eight of his 18 homers this year against lefties.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward came up big off the bench in Tuesday's victory versus the Colorado Rockies. The veteran began the game on the bench, but pinch-hit for Chris Taylor in the top of the ninth inning and it would prove to be a huge at-bat as he took Rockies reliever Tyler Kinley yard for a grand slam that would cut the Rockies lead to one at the time. His grand slam turned all the momentum in the Dodgers favor as they would walk away winners of the contest. Heyward has revived his career in Los Angeles over the past one and a half years, but he remains a better real-life player than fantasy player. As a platoon player, Heyward does not offer much value outside of DFS for now. On the season, he is now hitting .250 with four homers and 15 RBI over 80 at-bats.

Both Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux and outfielder Jason Heyward are sitting on Wednesday against the New York Mets with left-hander David Peterson on the mound. Mookie Betts will slide over to second base, allowing Miguel Rojas to enter the lineup at shortstop while hitting eighth in the batting order. Teoscar Hernandez shifts to right and Miguel Vargas will start in left field and bat in the nine-hole. It will be the second straight game on the bench for Lux after he sat out the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Lux has had a tough year in 2024, hitting just .205/.256/.281 with one homer and 12 RBI in 146 at-bats. Heyward has been even worse after missing a good chunk of time due to a back injury. The 34-year-old veteran is hitting .184 (7-for-38) with a homer and four RBI. It's hard to justify using either Rojas or Vargas in DFS lineups at the bottom of LA's lineup.

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder Jason Heyward (back) from the injured list on Friday and optioned outfielder James Outman to the minors in a corresponding move. Heyward is right back in the starting lineup on Friday, playing in right field and batting eighth against Cincinnati Reds right-hander Frankie Montas. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter landed on the injured list all the way back on April 3 with lower-back tightness and had some setbacks during his recovery. He was hitless in six at-bats with Triple-A Oklahoma City on a two-game minor-league rehab assignment and had gone just 3-for-14 with two RBI for the Dodgers to open the season before landing on the shelf. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect Heyward to be on the strong side of a platoon in right field now that he's healthy.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (back) did more hitting/baserunning on Tuesday and will take live batting practice in San Diego this weekend. Heyward is getting closer to a minor-league rehab assignment, which could last between two and five games, according to manager Dave Roberts. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter also took batting practice on the field before last Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves and finally appears to be putting his back injury in the rearview mirror after originally landing on the injured list way back on April 3. Given how good rookie outfielder Andy Pages has looked since debuting in the big leagues, Heyward may struggle for regular playing time in LA's outfield when he returns from the injured list.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he doesn't think outfielder Jason Heyward (back) has been cleared to start baseball activities yet. The expectation is that Heyward would be with the team on their road trip to Arizona this week to face the Diamondbacks, but he is not. Heyward recently was still feeling soreness in his back and apparently has yet to resume baseball activities. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter has been out since April 1 and will need a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment as soon as he begins ramping up his activities. It's made it difficult for fantasy managers to hang onto him in deeper leagues, especially as a platoon player in LA's outfield. Rookie Andy Pages has benefitted from Heyward's absence and entered Monday's game hitting .302 (13-for-43) with two home runs and five RBI in his first 11 MLB games.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (back) isn't swinging a bat and is still dealing with "residual soreness," according to manager Dave Roberts. Heyward is still more than a week from starting a minor-league rehab assignment. The 34-year-old veteran left-handed hitter was put on the 10-day injured list all the way back on April 3 with back soreness, and he hasn't made much progress since. There remains no timetable for a return from the IL, but fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect him to be out at least another few weeks. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been shifted over to right field for the Dodgers with Heyward out, while rookie prospect Andy Pages has also been platooning in center field with James Outman.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that outfielder Jason Heyward (back) is still dealing with residual soreness in his back. There is no timetable for his return, but Heyward would have to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list because he's already missed two weeks. Until the 34-year-old veteran left-handed swinger is able to return to the big-league roster, Teoscar Hernandez should continue to regularly play right field, with Chris Taylor also seeing additional playing time for the Blue in the outfield. Heyward should play regularly against right-handed pitching when he's healthy again. The former first-rounder in 2007 by the Atlanta Braves had gone 3-for-14 with two RBI in four games this year before landing on the IL.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his "hope" is that outfielder Jason Heyward (back) will return from the injured list when he's eligible next week, but the skipper isn't sure of Heyward's exact timeline yet. Heyward also didn't sound too concerned about his back injury and said it stiffened up on days he was coming off the bench, so the Dodgers decided him going on the IL would be best to make sure it doesn't linger. The 34-year-old is eligible to come back next Saturday, April 13. Until Heyward is able to return, Teoscar Hernandez is likely going to continue playing right field, with utility man Chris Taylor filling in on the other side in left field. In the first four games in 2024, Heyward has gone just 3-for-14 (.214) with two RBI and three runs scored for the Blue.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed outfielder Jason Heyward (back) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with lower-back tightness and recalled outfielder Taylor Trammell from the minors in a corresponding move. Heyward had missed the last two games with the injury and will now miss at least another 10 days. It's believed to be a minor back injury, though, so the 34-year-old veteran outfielder could return to the Dodgers when he's eligible. In addition to his injury, Heyward has gotten off to a slow start in 2024, going 3-for-14 (.214) with two RBI and three runs scored in his first four games. Trammell was just claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Tuesday but will likely just be outfield bench depth in the short term with Heyward injured. Teoscar Hernandez is back in right field again on Wednesday, with Chris Taylor starting in left field for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (back) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Francisco Giants. As expected, Heyward will sit out after undergoing additional testing earlier in the week due to his back stiffness. The organization is hopeful that this is only a day-to-day issue and Heyward can avoid a trip to the injured list. Enrique Hernandez will cover left field and bat ninth versus right-hander Logan Webb on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option for Tuesday's slate.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (back) is out of the starting lineup on Monday night against the division-rival San Francisco Giants with a tight back. Teoscar Hernandez will move over to right field and hit sixth, while Chris Taylor draws the start in left field and will bat eighth against Giants right-hander Keaton Winn. It will be the second straight game on the bench for the left-handed-hitting Heyward, who didn't start on Sunday in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 34-year-old veteran as day-to-day. Not only is Heyward not 100 percent healthy, but he went just 3-for-14 (.214) with two RBI, three runs scored and a strikeout in his first four games of the season.