The language around Chris Heisey’s injury sounded gruesome.
After taking a batting practice swing Wednesday, Heisey felt a jolt of pain he had not prior. His right shoulder and biceps had bothered him in the past, but not like this. After an initial exam, Heisey’s injury was termed a “right biceps rupture.” He was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Brian Goodwin was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace him.
Thursday, Heisey received an MRI exam which showed the same injury. However, much to his surprise, his pain had been reduced significantly. So much so that he swung a bat Thursday. He said he felt no pain when he did.
“As of right now, the way [team physician] Dr. [Robin] West described it to me, there’s not a ton they’re going to do for it,” Heisey said after Thursday’s game. “As long as I can tolerate a little bit of pain for right now, I’m pretty much cleared to do whatever I want. … Which is really surprising to me.”
The plan, Heisey said, is to let the swelling go down. He believes he will be able to “resume normal activity sooner than later.” That news gave Heisey relief, for now. He thought he could miss several weeks because of what he termed as “severe” pain when he swung Wednesday.
“It blew my mind when I heard [what the doctor said],” Heisey said.
Heisey first felt a sting of pain in his biceps after swinging through a pitch Tuesday night. When he went to left field to finish the game, he still felt pain. Wednesday’s batting practice swing confirmed something was still — and severely — wrong.
Removing him from the Nationals’ bench takes away a prime pinch-hitting piece. Heisey has 14 pinch-hit home runs since 2010. However, he was just 0-for-14 this season in the role.
Now, Heisey is hopeful he can return sooner than originally thought.
