Former Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward is taking a role in the front office, the team announced, following his retirement from the sport.
His official role, per the announcement, will be as a special assistant.
It is unclear exactly what the role will entail, but he will travel to various minor-league affiliate teams to assess talent and infrastructure from top to bottom.
“I’m excited for Jason to be back in the organization,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday’s game.
“He’s got the clubhouse part of it covered, so part of it is working with the front office guys and getting kind of to see the other side of things and how it’s kind of operates, and he’s going to be very helpful for his growth and also for the organization,” Roberts added.
Heyward is a longtime MLB veteran, starting his career with the Atlanta Braves, then moving to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs before landing in Los Angeles.
What is Jason Heyward’s Dodger legacy
He was 33 years old with the Dodgers during his first year in 2023, when he quickly became a clubhouse favorite for his leadership.
The outfielder still had a quality glove at one point in his career, with good enough range, while he also put together a resurgent season in his first year with Los Angeles.
He slashed .269/.340/.473 with 15 home runs in 124 games of action, with a 122 OPS+. Unfortunately, the Dodgers and Heyward were bounced out of the postseason early despite a great regular-season record.
His 2023 season was good enough to net him a second contract with the Dodgers, another one-year deal, though his second season did not go as well as his first.
He struggled to get his swing going, hitting .208/.289/.393 with the Dodgers before being released after 63 games that season.
His defense was still good enough to net him 0.8 bWAR with the team, but the hitting was not enough to keep him on the roster.
Heyward signed with the Astros after his release and again struggled at the plate, similar to what happened in 2025 with the San Diego Padres.
However, “J-Hey” was a key member of the dugout throughout, with players and coaching having nothing but good things to say about him.
For someone who joined off a minor league deal, he was a total success story for the Dodgers — a great player who had fallen on hard times, but he worked his way back on such a talented team.
