Yasiel Puig broke out of his slump for the night in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, going 3-for-5 with one home run and two RBIs. Puig admitted to taking a step back and worrying less about his struggles from the first month of the season.
While Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has spent plenty of time discussing Puig’s slump and approach at the plate, among other topics centered around the 25-year-old outfielder, Roberts recently said Puig is playing Gold Glove caliber defense in right field.
Puig has turned in plenty of plays this season that were looped on highlight reels. He threw out Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story at third base from deep in right field, and during that same series made a catch while crashing into the fence at Coors Field.
More recently, Puig has made multiple diving catches on sinking line drives, robbing New York Mets outfielder Juan Lagares of a likely extra-base hit in back-to-back games.
Puig laid out for another diving grab in the second inning on Saturday, to take a hit away from Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina:
The Dodgers went on to beat the Cardinals, and enter play on Sunday in the midst of their first three-game winning streak since mid-April.