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Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Calls On Yasiel Puig To Adjust Body Frame

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Joe Robbins-Getty Images

Heading into the 2015 season Yasiel Puig figured to play a key role in the Los Angeles Dodgers withstanding and overcoming the offensive production lost with Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez no longer being part of the club.

However, Puig only managed to play in 11 games during the first month of the regular season before landing on the disabled list for the first time in his career due to a strained left hamstring.

He returned June 6, then strained his right hamstring and was placed on the DL on Aug. 28. The hamstring issues can be loosely tied to Puig’s muscular frame that garnered plenty of attention given his speed despite a large frame.

However, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman believes the dynamic outfielder may not necessarily benefit from continuing to add muscle, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News:

With that, Friedman added the focus of Puig should be on further preparing to withstand the rigors of a full season, via Eric Stephen of True Blue LA:

Puig debuted with the Dodgers in June of 2013 and appeared in 104 games. His first full season was an All-Star campaign that saw Puig play in 142 games and hit .296/.382/.480 with 16 home runs and 69 RBIs.

The hamstring injuries limited Puig to just 79 games last season. Should there be merit to the belief Puig’s frame was getting to the point where it’s counterproductive, some encouragement can be found with him appearing to have dropped weight once he returned in October.

Puig joked he had liposuction, then credited the weight loss to the training and running he did at the club’s Spring Training facility in Arizona.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com