The Braves are not taking any chances with their prized rookie. Jason Heyward has a strained ligament in his thumb, and while it will not require surgery, the Braves are going to give him time to heal and come back 100 percent. After Monday night's game they announced they will place Heyward on the 15-day disabled list.
The move to the DL will be retroactive to June 27th, and Heyward will be eligible to be activated during the All-Star break. The thumb will be placed in a cast tomorrow and will remain in a cast for one week. The Braves expect to have him back when the second half of the season starts after the All-Star break. Matt Diaz will be activated from the DL tomorrow to replace Heyward on the active roster.
The team also announced that Kenshin Kawakami, and not Kris Medlen will go to the bullpen to make room for Jair Jurrjens in the starting rotation. While Meds has certainly pitched better than KK, I thought they would keep KK in the rotation and put the more flexible Medlen in the pen. This could be a further indictment of Kawakami, and a sign that the team is finally souring on him.