With the exception of a broken jaw suffered in 2013, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward has been fairly durable since making his MLB debut in 2010. However, he left Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants after the second inning with a hamstring injury.
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Heyward Exits with Hamstring Tightness
Monday, Aug. 17
The Cardinals announced Heyward's ailment, as Thomas Pham replaced him in center field. Heyward was 0-for-1 with a strikeout before exiting.
Heyward was flipped to the Cardinals last November in a move that saw the Atlanta Braves acquire pitcher Shelby Miller and minor leaguer Tyrell Jenkins.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2015 season, according to Spotrac, Heyward worked through some early-season struggles and eventually found a comfortable groove that's gradually boosted his stock.
Back on June 22, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny discussed Heyward's gradual evolution, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Rick Hummel: "He was trying to (1) make an impression on his new team and (2) still trying to figure out the kind of hitter he wants to be. And you always have free agency hanging over your shoulder. There are a lot of things going on all at once and it looks to me like he got rid of some of the clutter."
After hitting .217 in April and .284 in May, Heyward put a bow on June by batting .326. He followed that up with a .312 average in July.
On the season, the Cardinals outfielder is batting .287 with 43 RBI and 11 home runs for a St. Louis team that's seeking to capture its third straight National League Central crown.
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