Heyward focused on keeping family safe while dealing with COVID
Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward returned to the active roster and was in Wednesday's lineup. He'd been out since May 15 dealing with COVID.
The timing could have been better. Heyward and his wife Vedrana recently welcomed their first child, a son who is about to turn 3 months old.
"No one got sick," he said. "Fortunately, when I got home from Arizona that night I took a test to be safe and tested positive on that Sunday and went right to the basement, stayed away from them. If I left the basement, I had a mask on, kind of just saw them in passing. The next day I came over here, took three tests, a couple nasals and a spit test, all those were positive, of course."
Asked how he felt during his time away from the Cubs, Heyward gave a description not everyone can relate to.
"How was I feeling? Like I had COVID," he said. "It was good enough for me to not be around the team, stay away from my wife and son, make sure no one else got sick."
Smyly to IL:
The Cubs officially placed Drew Smyly on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain, which caused him to leave his most recent start after three innings.
"He's going to be out a little bit," manager David Ross said. "The way he feels is better than I think what the imaging has said. So I think he's had a little bit of this before and feels like it may not be that bad. We'll let the trainers do their job."
In addition to reinstating Jason Heyward from the injured list, the Cubs also activated RHP Michael Rucker and sent OF Nelson Velazquez back to Iowa. Pitcher Manuel Rodriguez was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow strain.
With both Smyly and Wade Miley on the injured list, the Cubs announced rookie Matt Swarmer will make his second major-league start Saturday in one of the games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals.
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