Even with the three trades the Los Angeles Dodgers completed prior to the non-waiver deadline on Monday, the most buzz was generated by a trade that never came to fruition. Unable to move Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers demoted the 25-year-old outfielder to the Minors on Tuesday.
At the time of announcing the move it wasn’t clear which affiliate Puig was optioned to. However, it was presumed to be Triple-A Oklahoma City and that was later verified.
Puig was the subject of multiple trade rumors over recent weeks, with Los Angeles reportedly attempting to to send him to the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that involved Jay Bruce.
It’s believed the Dodgers are still interested in trading their enigmatic outfielder, though Puig would first need to be placed on waivers, which then triggers a multitude of potential scenarios.
While the Dodgers’ decision on a course of action came down to trading or demoting Puig, general manager Farhan Zaidi said consideration was given to a disabled list stint, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Farhan Zaidi said Puig's demotion made more sense than DL, which was also considered.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) August 2, 2016
Prior to starting on Sunday, Puig went seven games over a stretch of 11 days without being in the lineup. Right hamstring tightness limited him to two pinch-hit appearances during that span.
In 81 games this season Puig is batting .260/.320/.386 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs. His .706 on-base-plus slugging percentage is on pace to set a career-low mark.
However, Puig did hit .307/.392/.443 with six doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs over 27 games (22 starts) since being reinstated from the DL in June. He missed 17 games due to a left hamstring strain.
Aside from inconsistent production on the field, Puig’s demotion is also in response to off-the-field matters and behavior that’s transpired behind closed doors.
