The Los Angeles Dodgers announced outfielder Yasiel Puig will sit out Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs with soreness in his left hamstring:
The 23-year-old is one of three Dodgers players who will be absent, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reported later that Puig made a pinch-hitting appearance:
This is another added to the list of minor injuries Puig‘s picked up in 2014. A strained right hip flexor cost him time in June, and then in July he missed a little bit of time after he was hit on the hand with a pitch.
Since taking him out of the lineup for Saturday is more precautionary than reactionary, the injured hamstring shouldn’t make him miss too many games, which is good news for the Dodgers.
They can ill afford to lose one of their biggest stars as they look to remain on top in the National League West. Puig leads Los Angeles in batting average (.319) and sits second behind Adrian Gonzalez in homers (13) and runs batted in (55).
Heading into Saturday night, the Dodgers held a 2.5-game cushion over the San Francisco Giants. As long as Puig returns after a game or two, that small lead shouldn’t be in danger.
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