CHICAGO — Jason Heyward, who launched a 16-year MLB career with his hometown Atlanta Braves in 2010 and won World Series championships with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, has retired from baseball.
“I wanted to reach this moment and know without a doubt that it was time to walk away, and I do. No second-guessing, no looking back, just gratitude,” Heyward, 36, said in a statement released Friday, when the last round of MLB teams — including the Braves — played their 2026 regular-season openers after other clubs got going Wednesday or Thursday.
Heyward played in 34 games with the San Diego Padres last season, hitting .176 before the team released him in June.
For his MLB career, spent mostly in the National League, Heyward hit .255 with 186 home runs while playing for six teams in all: the Braves (2010-14), St. Louis Cardinals (2015), Cubs (2016-22), Dodgers (2023-24), Houston Astros (2024) and Padres (2025). His 24 games with the Astros marked his only time with an American League club.
Primarily an outfielder, he won five Gold Gloves at that position, including four straight from 2014-17.