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Heyward happy to accept benching if Cubs win World Series

Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

As the Chicago Cubs look to make history, their prized free-agent acquisition of last offseason likely won't be part of it.

With the team attempting to take a 2-1 series lead against the Cleveland Indians on Friday at Wrigley Field, right fielder Jason Heyward remains on the bench, having not started since Game 5 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Several days after meeting with manager Joe Maddon to discuss his place on the team, Heyward says he's trying to take the demotion in stride.

"If we win the World Series, I’m all right with that," Heyward told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch on Thursday. "I’m at peace with everything here. I’m at peace. I got to choose this one."

Jorge Soler and Chris Coghlan have received the bulk of the starts in right field in place of Heyward, who has gone 2-for-30 at the plate entering Friday. Soler and Coghlan are being paid a combined $7.8 million in 2016, while Heyward is collecting a salary of $21.6 million this season, and will be the team's highest-paid player in 2017.

"You’ve got to try to focus on that one situation, that one situation at a time," Heyward said.

"It makes it tougher because you do want to impact the game and you’re coming off the bench, and that’s hard any time of the year. All I can do is prepare for whatever it is each day, whether that’s the beginning of the game or the end. Right now, literally anything can happen."

After receiving an eight-year, $184-million contract last winter - the largest guaranteed deal in Cubs history - Heyward hit .230/.306/.325 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs in 142 games.

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