Dodgers activate outfielder Jason Heyward from injured list and send James Outman back to minors

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward was reinstated from the injured list Sunday.

Heyward was set to start in right field and bat seventh as Los Angeles wrapped up a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.

The 34-year-old Heyward was placed on the injured list July 5 with a left knee bone bruise. He has a .203 batting average with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 42 games.

“He hasn’t taken a whole lot of at-bats this year," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re going to have some lefties here coming up against the Giants. It was important to get him back and to play tonight.”

To open a roster spot for Heyward, outfielder James Outman was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Outman finished third in 2023 NL Rookie of the Year voting but was hitting just .153 with three homers and a .508 OPS in 45 major league games this season.

Heyward's return is the first in what should be a big week for the Dodgers, who were leading the NL West by 7 1/2 games despite a rash of injuries.

Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to make his first start of the season Thursday in the series finale against San Francisco after working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. All-Star righty Tyler Glasnow is slated to start Wednesday after missing the past couple of weeks due to back tightness.

“It's starting to look more like our ballclub,” Roberts said. “Not to take anything away from the guys that have kind of backfilled, but these are the guys that we penciled in from the outset. So to get them back, it’s really uplifting.”