After battling multiple hamstring injuries last season that limited Yasiel Puig to a career-low 79 games, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman instructed the young outfielder to lose weight during the offseason.
Puig reported to Spring Training with a trimmed-down physique and largely got through camp without issue; he was scratched from one game in late-March due to hamstring tightness. While Puig dealt with the same inconsistency that’s plagued him since 2014, he remained healthy.
That was until he was scratched from the lineup May 31 and limited to pinch-hit appearances over a string of games due to left hamstring tightness. While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t believe Puig would be forced to the disabled list, that’s what transpired on June 3.
With the Dodgers on a six-game road trip that began Friday, Puig is expected to start his rehab assignment on Monday and be activated from the DL one week after, according to AM 570 LA Sports Radio DodgerTalk host David Vassegh:
Yasiel Puig going on rehab assignment on Monday expected to be activated on Monday 6/20 vs Wash
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) June 11, 2016
Puig’s rehab assignment begin with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. When discussing Puig’s status earlier this week, Roberts projected the 25-year-old outfielder would return two or three days after he was eligible to be reinstated.
At the time, Roberts said Puig was still limited by the injury in regards to running. “He’ll pass some tests and be sent out to go on his assignment,” Roberts concluded his thoughts with on Tuesday.
Puig is batting .237/.283/.360 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs and 20 RBIs over 53 games this season. He was benched in late May for not running out of the box on what wound up a long single that hit off the right field fence at Dodger Stadium.
Roberts called it a learning experience, while Puig accepted responsibility and was understanding of his manager’s decision.
