Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig’s hamstrings have not been kind to him this season. He missed over a month of action earlier in the year with a right hamstring injury, and now his left one is bothering him.
The 24 year old has missed the last two games, and his team has suffered because of it scoring just two runs and getting no-hit by Houston Astros right-hander Mike Fiers.
An MRI revealed a mild left hamstring strain, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said there was hope Puig would avoid a stint on the disabled list.
On Friday, Mattingly provided a positive update, via J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News:
I think (medical director Stan Conte) wanted to be a little cautious for another day,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “We’ll just see where he is again but it sounded like it went good today. He might be available in some capacity tonight. “I expect him to definitely be able to play in the series,” Mattingly said of Puig. “Just from Stan’s tone. He came out and ran hard. It sounds like it went pretty well.”
It has been a bit of an up-and-down season for Puig up to this point, but he was in the midst of a five-game hitting streak before going down with the injury. This season he is batting .250/.320/.434 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and 110 wRC+ in 72 games.
He said recently he’s no longer concerned with what his critics have to say and is confident he’ll finish the season on a high note. With left-hander Scott Kazmir slated to take the mound Sunday for the Houston Astros, Puig figures to stand a good chance of returning to the lineup, even if as a designated hitter.
