There haven’t been many off-the-field surprises since the Los Angeles Dodgers demoted Yasiel Puig to Triple-A Oklahoma City after the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. For that matter, there also hasn’t necessarily been anything unexpected on the field.
Puig was improved at the plate upon returning from the disabled list, and he’s punished Triple-A pitching thus far. Over 19 games with Oklahoma City, the mercurial outfielder is batting .348/.400/.594 with three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI.
One blip on the radar was Puig’s decision to post a series of videos to Snapchat, which showed him and OKC teammates drinking and enjoying a night out on a party bus.
The Dodgers placed Puig on revocable waivers on Sunday, and he was unsurprisingly claimed shortly thereafter. Puig said he wasn’t surprised by the club’s decision to put him on trade waivers.
Although Los Angeles isn’t expected to trade their 25-year-old outfielder at present time, what the immediate future holds remains unclear.
Even while praising Puig for his current play, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts have remained noncommittal when the topic of a potential call-up this month has been broached.
Accoriding to Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com, prior to Puig potentially joining the Dodgers now that active rosters have expanded, there will first be a closed-door meeting:
A callup could come as early as Thursday, when the active rosters expand from 25 players to 40, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said no decision has been made on Puig’s situation, and before any decision is made, there will be a closed-door meeting with Puig.
In 81 games with the Dodgers this season, the Cuban outfielder hit .260/.320/.386 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 34 RBI. More than production at the plate, there are said to be concerns with Puig’s work ethic.
On Wednesday, Roberts specifically mentioned Luis Avilan, Austin Barnes, Louis Coleman and Josh Ravin as those who will be part of an initial wave from the Minors. Avilan joined the Dodgers as their 26th man for the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Coors Field.
