Cubs' Heyward appears to be on track for return
The Cubs still had no answers Monday about what might be wrong with outfielder Jason Heyward, who left Sunday's game complaining of lightheadedness and shortness of breath. He did not play Monday and was not in Tuesday's lineup.
"Passed all the tests this morning, went through one more about 15 minutes ago, should be the last one to get cleared," manager David Ross said before the game. "Talked to him a little bit this morning, still feeling a little bit fatigued, so I'm going to stay away from him to start the game for sure."
It appears Heyward is on track to play again soon, even if an explanation for what happened remains unclear. Heading into Tuesday's action, he ranked second on the team with a .300 batting average.
"I think the concern would be Jason continuing to feel not like himself and us not knowing what it is, right?" Ross said. "The trainers and the doctors, I have full faith and trust in everything they're doing. Again, let's just be patient and let him go through the process of getting checked out. We'll get him here and I'll update you if there's anything concerning."
Ross was asked what the Cubs miss without Heyward on the field.
"You miss who he is as a person in the clubhouse," he said. "He's a leader, he leads by example, he leads with his voice. You miss his performance right now in the field, his defense. The guy obviously has tons of awards for playing right field.
"His energy, the way he lifts guys up. He's probably the most vocal guy on the bench in being positive at every moment of the game. Whether we're down 5 or up 5, he's cheering. He's the same in the first (inning) as he is in the sixth as he is in the ninth for his teammates. His professionalism is as good as anybody I've been around."