The fallout of failing to trade Yasiel Puig before the non-waiver trade deadline on Monday along with the acquisition of Josh Reddick resulted in the Los Angeles Dodgers demoting the Cuban outfielder to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
It’s been tough sledding for Puig after he followed his dynamic rookie season with an All-Star campaign in 2014. Multiple hamstring issues limited Puig to a career-worst 79 games last season, and he’s battled similar hamstring trouble this year.
Puig has nonetheless continued to play his typical strong defense in right field, and hit .308/.390/.440 after returning from the disabled list in June.
His demotion was in part said to be related to off-the-field and behavioral issues.
Puig has yet to report to Oklahoma City and his arrival isn’t something that manager Bill Haselman has much concern over, via Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman:
“I’m going to treat him just like I treat all of these guys,” Haselman said. “I think we’ll be fine. I’m not worried about anything. I’m looking forward to it.”
Charlie Culberson, who spent time with the Dodgers this season, believes Puig may benefit from his stay in the Minors:
OKC infielder Charlie Culberson said: “I do believe sometimes going to the minor leagues might be good for a lot of people. There’s not many guys that can go to the big leagues and stick for the rest of their career. I think Yasiel will be fine. We’ve got a good group of guys here. Hopefully, he takes it well and has fun with it.”
Culberson isn’t the only one who believes time at Triple-A could suit Puig well as Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently expressed optimism that the 25-year-old outfielder will have the ability to further develop his game.
Puig hit .260/.320/.386 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 81 games with the Dodgers. His .706 on-base plus slugging percentage would set a career low. It’s generally believed the club remains interested in trading the enigmatic outfielder.
The Atlanta Braves reportedly would have interest in putting in a claim if Puig is placed on waives.
