Yasiel Puig is not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. (Getty Images)
Yasiel Puig is not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Andre Ethier is playing right field after starting in left the day before.
Puig tried to play through his strained left hamstring in the Dodgers’ 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. He showed up at the ballpark this morning feeling “soreness,” according to manager Don Mattingly.
If Puig does not play today, it will be the fourth game of the last five that he’s missed. The Dodgers have the added advantage of two off-days this week — one this past Thursday, another tomorrow. In hindsight, why didn’t the Dodgers simply send Puig to the 15-day disabled list and call up an outfielder to strengthen their bench?
“We don’t feel like there’s any injury,” Mattingly said. “The DL was part of the conversation earlier. If they (the Dodgers’ medical staff) say ‘DL’ I’m fine. Andre’s playing well. If medical says we should DL (Puig) we’ll DL him. We have guys in Triple-A who are swinging the bats.”
As Puig’s injury has been concerned, talk is cheap. Puig said he wanted to play last Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners. Mattingly said prior to that game that Puig would try to get loose and be available to pinch hit. After the game, Mattingly admitted that he had lied, that Puig was never going to be available to play Tuesday.
But consider the transactions wire. The Dodgers had an opportunity to call up an outfielder Thursday. Instead they brought up pitcher Adam Liberatore. How long they continue with an eight-man bullpen “depends on what we’re doing as far as our players,” Mattingly said. “If you get into a five-man rotation you don’t do that. You make the choice between an extra player and an extra bullpen guy — it just depends on where we’re at.”
You also don’t go with an eight-man bullpen if you don’t believe that Puig’s injury is serious and he is not on the disabled list.
Mattingly said that Puig might start Tuesday in San Francisco, and that seems plausible at this point.
