New swing, same gratitude: Jason Heyward grateful to be playing at Wrigley Field

The most meaningful part of Jason Heyward’s return to Wrigley Field this week?

That he made it back to the friendly confines as a player at all.

“It’s good to say I’m here to play baseball with another historic franchise,” the former Cubs star said Thursday, surrounded by cameras and media members in his first trip back as a member of the Dodgers. “That says enough.”

A permanent Chicago resident after seven memorable years with the Cubs, where he became a fan favorite and clubhouse leader, Heyward never doubted he’d see Wrigley again.

“That might have been walking the dogs out here in the outfield,” he joked.

What wasn’t as clear to the 33-year-old veteran, following his release from the organization over the offseason, was whether his playing career would last long enough for him to return to his old home stadium.

The former All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner acknowledged that entering the winter, he was unsure whether any teams would call following his dramatic decline over his last couple of seasons in Chicago.

Even after signing a minor-league deal with the Dodgers in November, he had to change his swing in order to earn a spot on the team.

“I think players are hard to, at times, change how they do things, how they’re wired, because that’s what they’ve done for so long,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But Jason has given way to what he did in the past, to learn something new.”

So far this season, Heyward’s results have been mixed. He is batting just .200, but has three home runs and five RBIs. He hasn’t been an everyday player, but is quickly becoming a prominent, respected voice on the Dodgers’ youthful, new-look roster.

The team could still use more production from the 14th-year outfielder, even with the Cubs paying all but $720,000 of his $22 million salary after releasing him with a year remaining on his contract.

But, the Dodgers are appreciating the wisdom Heyward is imparting upon the team, too; a unique “humility,” as Roberts described it, that was amplified by his existential experience this offseason.

Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward speaks to reporters before Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

(Jack Harris / Los Angeles Times)

“In theory, I think that’s the way you want everyone to feel,” Roberts said, praising Heyward’s urgency and attention to detail in games and behind the scenes. “I think that’s who he is as a person anyway. But to get to a certain point of the unknown, and to have a new lease on life, I think that’s even more evident with him everyday. I’m a huge fan. I’m happy I’ve had this opportunity to share the same uniform.”

Heyward elicited similar sentiments during his time with the Cubs.

It didn’t matter that, on the whole, the left-handed hitter underperformed for most of his eight-year, $184 million contract with the team, batting just .245 with a .700 OPS over his seven seasons in Chicago.

Or that things deteriorated so much at the end, with Heyward posting some of the majors’ worst offensive statistics over two injury-plagued seasons in 2021 and 2022, the Cubs are now effectively paying him to play somewhere else.

On Thursday, those dark days were overshadowed by everything else Heyward offered his former team — most notably, the crucial veteran presence and Game 7 speech he provided during the club’s curse-breaking World Series title in 2016.

“One of my favorite guys on the planet,” current Cubs manager and former Heyward teammate David Ross told reporters pregame. “He’s a brother for life.”

Asked about the legacy he left behind in Chicago, Heyward said simply: “It means I was a good teammate. It means I was fortunate to be on a lot of good teams.”

He and the Dodgers are hoping the same can be true this year, as they try to shake off a sub-.500 start to the season and find their footing as championship contenders.

That’s why, for everything his heart was feeling ahead of his Chicago homecoming this weekend, Heyward’s mind was only focused on one thing: improving his impact, on and off the field, with the Dodgers to carve out a similar reputation on a brand new team.

“It’s really cool to be able to [come back to Wrigley] as an outfielder for the Dodgers,” he reiterated. “I’m just going to enjoy it, every bit of it. You never know when it’ll be your last time.”