Heyward targeting return during 3-game set vs. Cardinals

Jason Heyward doesn't want to miss a minute of the Route 66 rivalry.

Out for Monday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals with a bone contusion in his rib cage, Heyward - who played 154 games for the Cardinals in 2015 - is aiming to return from his injury as soon as Wednesday, the series finale.

"If it was up to me, I'd be playing right now," Heyward said Monday, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. "Obviously, you have to go through stuff and test it out just to make sure. We'll see what they say and see how I feel."

The Cubs outfielder suffered the injury Friday against the San Francisco Giants when a Denard Span fly ball sent him sliding into the wall at AT&T Park to make the grab. After a positive first batting session since the injury, though, the 26-year-old feels it won't be much longer before he takes to the field again.

"I love how I'm feeling," Heyward said. "I have complete confidence to go out there and test it out. I wouldn't go do it if I didn't trust it, and they wouldn't let me do it if they didn't trust it. Everybody's on the same page."