The diagnosis is in on Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, who was struck in the face with a Jon Niese fastball in Wednesday afternoon’s 4-1 defeat of the Mets. And it’s no good for anyone involved.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Heyward has a fracture in his right jaw and will likely be out for the next 4-6 weeks -- which could very well mean he is done for the rest of the 2013 regular season.
The Braves have a massive cushion over everyone else in the National League East standings and can use these next several weeks to get B.J. Upton, Jordan Schafer and Evan Gattis regular at-bats, but a broken jaw is a serious injury and Heyward was one of the hottest hitters in baseball. It’s fair to wonder how six weeks off might affect his stroke.
Atlanta opens a big four-game series in St. Louis on Thursday night.
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UPDATE, 8:02 p.m. ET: Bowman reports that Heyward will undergo jaw surgery on Thursday.