Yasiel Puig ‘doubtful’ to play again for Dodgers in 2016

It’s been a tumultuous season, to say the least, between the Dodgers and their star outfielder, Yasiel Puig. It seems surprising that in a year in which their roster has been so routinely decimated by injury, especially in the outfield, that Los Angeles would be in a hurry to rid themselves of a player with Puig’s ceiling, despite his struggles. On June 1, he was hitting an underwhelming .238, but managed to claw his way up to a .260 BA by the end of July, bumping up his OBP by 36 points while his power numbers stayed about the same.

Yet, after telling Puig he would either be demoted to the minors or dealt by the July trade deadline (the Dodgers couldn’t find a match with a suitor), a Dodgers source tells Jon Heyman that it’s doubtful Puig sees major league daylight again this year.

While a Dodgers-connected person labeled it “doubtful” he’d appear with the Dodgers’ major-league team again this year, the Dodgers remain cognizant of his youth and extraordinary talent, which if anything has been re-affirmed in his brief stay so far with Triple-A Oklahoma City...

A month ago, Puig said he desired to stay with the Dodgers, and seems to have gotten his wish, to an extent.

After the team brought in Josh Reddick in an attempt to plug the hole in their outfield, they sent Puig down to Triple A. In 15 games with Oklahoma City, he’s hit .386 with a 1.102 OPS and 4 HR. As far as Puig’s well-documented personality goes, he’s been handling the situation “exceptionally well,” according to Heyman (Though he did give Dodgers president Andrew Friedman a twitch by posting a snapchat of himself and his new OKC teammates partying).

Meanwhile, in his first 20 games with L.A., Reddick is hitting .143.

Teams thinking they could sneak in and snag an all-star outfielder for cheap have been rebuffed by the Dodgers. Perhaps, given Puig’s most recent resurgence, the Dodgers could find a use for him once rosters balloon come September.