Dodgers' Yasiel Puig benched after showing up late to ballpark for batting practice
L.A. manager Dave Roberts indicated that Puig's benching was related to more than one incident
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched the NL West title and have their sights set on top overall seed heading into the postseason. Monday, though, occasioned a bit of unwelcome drama involving outfielder Yasiel Puig. Per Andy McCullough, Puig was late for batting practice on Monday, which resulted in his being benched. Here's more:
Roberts said he needs to trust his players to remain focused on every pitch of every inning. He is still frustrated with Puig.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) September 24, 2017
Roberts indicated that Puig's benching was related to more than one incident. The irritation has built up, apparently.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) September 24, 2017
Dave Roberts remains upset with Yasiel Puig. He has not decided how long Puig will be benched.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) September 25, 2017
The timing, I would say, is not ideal.
Obviously, Puig-related intrigue is nothing new for the Dodgers, but he's been pretty focused for much of this season. As McCullough's final tweet indicates, this is not ideal timing for a manager-core player dust-up.
Otherwise, Puig is enjoying a nice bounce-back season after a disappointing 2016. On the year, he has a line of .259/.339/.474 (113 OPS+) with 26 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 147 games. While the Dodgers have plenty of outfield depth, they're a better team with Puig in the lineup. There's still time to get this sorted out before the NLDS begins, but it's obviously not a promising development in L.A.
