Thanks mostly to a series of hamstring problems, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was limited to only 79 games in 2015. He also hit .255/.322/.436 (109 OPS+) with 11 home runs, easily the worst offensive season in his three years as a big leaguer.
Getting Puig healthy and on the field for 150+ games is a priority for the Dodgers, so the team wants him to reshape his body and lose some weight this offseason. They want a leaner Puig in 2016. From Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times:
“That’s a focus,” said Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations.
...
“He has continued to get bigger and stronger each year,” Friedman said. “It may not be the optimal size for him to play 150 games, 150-plus games.”
Hernandez notes Puig is in regular contact with Brandon McDaniel, the team’s strength and conditioning coach.
Puig, 25 next month, is listed at 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds on the team's official site. He's not necessarily overweight, but he's a large man with a thick frame, and trimming down a bit may help him stay healthy and tap into that freakish athleticism. The extra bulk is a problem.
It's worth noting Puig battled conditioning issues soon after originally signing with the Dodgers back in June 2012. He worked hard to shed the extra weight and add muscle, and it helped him produce at a superstar level from 2013-14. Puig hit .305/.386/.502 (151 OPS+) with 10.3 WAR those two years.
The Dodgers have a glut of outfielders -- they have Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke in addition to Puig -- but they're at their best when Puig is perfoming like he did from 2013-14. If shedding a little weight can help keep him on the field, then it's a huge help for the Dodgers.
