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Braves outfielder Jason Heyward day-to-day with back soreness

Atlanta Braves rightfielder Jason Heyward left Monday's game against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning, and is day-to-day. Heyward is suffering from lower back soreness. 
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Atlanta Braves rightfielder Jason Heyward left Monday's game against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning with lower back soreness, and he is day-to-day, according to the team.

Heyward has played in 102 of the Braves' 105 games this season, after injuries limited him to just 104 games last year. He is batting .261 for the season, with a .350 on-base percentage and nine home runs. 

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Over the first five seasons of his career, Heyward has emerged as one of the game's premier defensive outfielders. He won a Gold Glove in 2012, and his advanced metrics are favorable too: Fangraphs' defensive rating places Heyward second among MLB outfilders, behind only Kansas City's Alex Gordon, and Heyward is first in Baseball Reference's Defensive Wins Above Replacement statistic. 

The Braves are competing for both the NL East title and one of the two Wild Card spots. Atlanta is 57-48 and 1.5 games back of the Washington Nationals in the East and tied with the San Francisco Giants for the Wild Card spots. 

- Alex Hampl