Coming off an injury-plagued 2015 season, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is fighting a hamstring injury.
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Latest Details on Puig's Hamstring Injury
Saturday, March 26
According to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, Puig was scratched from Saturday's spring training game against the Seattle Mariners due to a tight hamstring.
The announcement comes on the heels of Puig being lifted from Friday's contest against the San Francisco Giants early, although he suggested it had nothing to do with his health, per MLB.com's Ken Gurnick:
The Dodgers need a bounce-back season from Puig, who hit just .255/.322/.436 in 79 games last year. The 25-year-old is a dynamic talent when healthy, hitting .296/.382/.480 and making the All-Star team in 2014.
Puig has shown flashes of brilliance thus far in spring training with a .333 batting average, one home run and six RBI in 12 games, but durability issues continue to plague him, as he missed most of the 2015 campaign.
Lineup depth is not a strength for the Dodgers, though they have tremendous young talents like Puig, Corey Seager and Joc Pederson who can elevate them in 2016. They finished 19th in runs scored last season because of injuries and poor performances.
The Dodgers have financial resources and a deep farm system to use if they feel compelled to find more help in the outfield, either as a short-term replacement or someone to play on a consistent basis throughout the season as part of a rotation.
With Andre Ethier on the shelf for 10-14 weeks with a fractured tibia, per ESPN.com, losing Puig for any length of time becomes an even bigger hindrance to the Dodgers.
Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke are currently L.A.'s reserve outfielders, and they may both be forced into significant action depending upon the severity of Puig's hamstring issue.
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