Padres Aging Veteran Doesn't Know If This Will Be His Last MLB Opportunity

Jason Heyward realizes he's closer to the end of his career as a baseball player than the beginning.

The Padres' outfielder, now in his 16th big league season, is hitting .176 with a .223 on-base percentage and a .271 slugging percentage in a platoon/bench role.

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Signed to provide the left-handed half of a left field tandem, Heyward has already seen the right-handed half of the platoon — Connor Joe — leave San Diego via trade.

Wednesday, Heyward reflected candidly on his shelf life in a game that favors the young and agile. Heyward is turning 36 later this year.

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“As a player, that’s not easy to deal with,” he said of facing baseball's steep aging curve, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Like, you never know when it’ll be your last (season). You want to make the most of the opportunity. But you’ve still gotta be aggressive, still gotta hunt, you still gotta play the game that way.”

Heyward has a long resume as a talented hitter and outfielder. He's won five Gold Glove Awards, made an All-Star team, and collected National League MVP votes in three different seasons.

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Yet it's also been eight years since his last Gold Glove season. He hasn't collected as many as 400 plate appearances in a season since 2019. That was six years and four teams ago.

Last year, Heyward split the season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. Heyward slashed .211/.288/.412 overall, with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, and five stolen bases in five tries.

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The Padres signed Heyward to a one-year, $1 million contract in February. He's set to receive another $50,000 for collecting 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 plate appearances.

With that in mind, the Padres have a financial incentive — albeit a small one — to not carry Heyward around much longer if he continues to struggle at the plate.

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As Acee points out, Heyward's .185 batting average (through Tuesday) is third-lowest through the first 31 games of a season. His .233 on-base percentage is the lowest by six points.

Heyward's attitude amid his struggles?

"Just keep going,” he told Acee. “Keep going, do your best and treat it like it is your last. Sometimes that mentality is a gift and a curse, right? Because you don’t want to hold on to it too much. But just enough to say, ‘All right, I’m present. I’m going to make the most of this.’ And then after that, just go have fun.”

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