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Jesse Rogers talk the White Sox approaching .500 and are the Cubs slumping? | Chicago Sports Tonight
Cassie Carlson and Jesse Rogers talk how the White Sox rallied to get themselves one game below .500 and what's behind the Cubs' slump before the two meet this weekend for the Crosstown Classic.
LOS ANGELES - Jason Heyward is back in baseball less than two months after retiring as a player.
The 36-year-old five-time Gold Glove outfielder has taken a job with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the six teams he played for during his 16-year MLB career.
He announced his retirement at the end of March from a career that included winning the World Series with the Cubs in 2016.
What we know:
Heyward will be a special assistant in the baseball operations department.
"I'm excited for Jason to be back in the organization," manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. "I do know that he’s going to do some stuff with the affiliates, which is great. He’s got the clubhouse part covered, so part of it is working with the front office guys and getting to see the other side of things and how it operates and he’s going to be very helpful for his growth and also for the organization."
Heyward spent two seasons with the Dodgers, winning his second World Series title in 2024. He then played one season in Houston and his final season was in San Diego before retiring. He had earlier stops in Atlanta and St. Louis. He's best known for his time with the Chicago Cubs, winning the World Series in 2016.
The backstory:
Heyward was a significant piece of the Cubs' World Series title in 2016.
He signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs ahead of the 2015 season. At that time, Heyward's contract was the largest player contract the Cubs had signed a player to.
Across his seven years with the Cubs, Heyward played in 744 games, hit 62 home runs, won two Gold Gloves and was known as the player who gave a impassioned players-only meeting speech during the 17-minute rain delay in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
The Cubs won that game, and Heyward was credited with helping lift the Cubs' curse that spanned over 100 years.