Yasiel Puig temporarily shut down, Dodgers proceeding with caution.


There was no real news on the Yasiel Puig front Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, though Dodgers manager Don Mattingly offered a general idea of what’s next for the star outfielder. Puig suffered a setback in his rehab from a left hamstring strain when the muscle cramped up on him in a rehab game Saturday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Mattingly said that Sunday’s MRI showed this injury was to the same area as the original strain.

“I don’t feel like we’re starting all the way over,” Mattingly said. “They’re always doing something so you’re never really shut down. I’m sure they’ll let it calm down a couple days and kind of get back on the program, as far as building toward doing bike, doing water, doing bases, all that kind of stuff.”

That’s the closest thing to a timetable the manager offered Tuesday.

If anything, Puig’s latest setback was a cautionary tale about following strict timetables. Once a player is sent out on rehab, the timetable is up to him.

“That’s where he has to just talk and communicate how he’s feeling, and make sure he doesn’t — guys get caught in timetables and think that’s the timetable they have to be ready,” Mattingly said. “Instead of if they’re feeling anything, speak up. Guys always think they can play through stuff. Rehab is a place for them to get totally healthy.

“You can never get it to game speed until you get out there.”

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.