Mired by multiple hamstring injuries that limited him to 79 games last season, Yasiel Puig spent the winter months shedding weight with the hope it would translate to him avoiding the reoccurring soft-tissue injury.
Puig reported to Spring Training appearing much slimmer and with a renewed focus as he looked to bounce back from a down year. Clayton Kershaw praised his teammate for his work ethic, which is a sentiment that by and large has been echoed by the Dodgers front office, manager Dave Roberts and others on the roster.
Puig started the first 11 games of the season before receiving a night off on Saturday, though he did appear as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and flied out to end the game with the tying run standing on third.
With the Dodgers looking to take the three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, Puig was back in the lineup and batting fifth. He lined a leadoff single to center field in the bottom of the seventh, then ignited the crowd by scoring from second base on a Yasmani Grandal infield single:
Puig was lauded by Grandal and Roberts for his aggressive baserunning decision, with both calling for more of the same from Puig and others moving forward.
