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Braves outfielder Jason Heyward not held back by thumb injury

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ATLANTA -- Based on his own previous experience, former Braves manager Bobby Cox said Jason Heyward might spend an entire career battling the effects of the thumb injury he suffered in May. It's far too early to tell if that will be the case. But with the start of Spring Training three weeks away, the 21-year-old Braves outfielder still has not regained the same flexibility he had before he jammed his thumb during a headfirst slide on May 14. "I don't have any pain in it, but I still don't have the full range of motion in it," Heyward said. "I still can't bend it anywhere close to where it was before. I don't know if I ever will be able to do that. But I know it's not holding me back from hitting."