Dodgers say Jason Heyward’s presence will be missed

LOS ANGELES — Miguel Rojas walked into the Dodgers’ clubhouse on Friday and the sight of the empty locker in the corner was hard to shake.

Jason Heyward’s belongings were cleared from the space in the corner between Rojas and Freddie Freeman. Heyward and Freeman are longtime friends from back when both were top prospects in the Atlanta Braves’ organization.

Heyward was designated for assignment Thursday when Chris Taylor was activated off the injured list following a groin injury.

Rojas figures the clubhouse void, both literal and figurative, will have a significant impact on Freeman, as well as the rest of the club.

“I’m going to talk to Freddie in a little bit to see if he wants me to move over and be a little closer to him,” Rojas said.

While it’s difficult to quantify leadership qualities, Rojas said Heyward’s presence, as much as his contributions on the field, will be missed.

“It’s going to take a little while for us to kind of understand that one, but our job right now as a professional is to keep moving forward and keep focusing on what we need to focus on,” Rojas said of the roster move.

As far as filling a leadership role, Rojas already was taking those steps for the team.

“What Jason did for the Dodgers in a year and a half was pretty remarkable, on the field, in the clubhouse, in the community, and his fingerprint will be everlasting, in my opinion,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “(It was a) very difficult decision. It was a roster crunch. Guys finally came back to health, and we only have so much room.”

Roberts was sensitive to the feelings of players in the clubhouse.

“There’s certainly emotions, as anyone would expect there to be,” Roberts said. “I think everyone also understands that we all have jobs to do, and we still have to win baseball games. But these guys are, not only teammates, they’re very good friends. So it’s emotional for a lot of guys, but I don’t think it’ll have an effect that bleeds into … forthcoming games.

“It’s the life we chose. And there’s a lot of fruits and a lot of great things, but in certain situations, it’s tough.”

The lasting memory of Heyward’s Dodgers tenure will be his tie-breaking, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning of a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

“Nothing but the best for Jason,” Rojas said. “At the end of the day, when all is said and done, he is going to be a big part of why we get to where we want to go.”

TO BE DETERMINED

While Taylor can play both the infield and the outfield, providing a right-handed bat to face left-handed pitching, Roberts has not established a set role for his utility man.

Taylor was not in the lineup Friday as the left-handed hitting Gavin Lux was at second base and set to face off against Tampa Bay Rays lefty Tyler Alexander. Enrique Hernandez was at third base as Max Muncy received an extra day of rest after his return from the injured list this week.

“Right now, for me, it’s be ready when called upon,” Roberts said when asked about Taylor’s role. “I’m going to run my best players out there, and we have to win games.”

While Taylor struggled earlier this season with a .167 batting average and a .542 OPS, he said he is feeling confident with mechanical changes he made during his recovery. The most obvious of the adjustments is the bat on Taylor’s shoulder as he sets up in the batter’s box.

“Overall, I feel like I’m in a good, good spot, and I’m excited to get out there,” Taylor said. “It’s really hard to chase old mechanics, I’ve learned. It’s easier to take the principles of old swings and see what I did well and find new ways to get there.”

REHAB START AHEAD

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, out since June 15 with right triceps tightness, is now scheduled to make a minor league rehab start on Wednesday after the Dodgers originally said he would advance to simulated games soon.

Yamamoto will first throw a bullpen on Monday and then progress to a two-inning outing later in the week for a yet-to-be-determined minor league affiliate.

The timetable could put Yamamoto on track to rejoin the rotation possibly by the second week of September.

In the first season of a 12-year, $325 million contract, that is the richest ever given to a major league pitcher, Yamamoto was 6-2 over his first 14 major league starts with a 2.92 ERA.

UP NEXT

Rays (LHP Taj Bradley, 6-8, 3.55 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 2-2, 2.63 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM