Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig did not play Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs because of a sore hamstring, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago.
Continue for updates.
Crawford Replaces Puig
Tuesday, May 31
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed Carl Crawford would play, while Doug Padilla of ESPN.com said Crawford would shift to left field and Trayce Thompson would occupy right field.
This season, Puig has batted .239 with five home runs and 20 RBI in 51 games played.
Puig has been one of the Dodgers' most exciting and frustrating players since his electrifying rookie campaign in 2013. The question coming into this season revolved around whether he could rebound from a lackluster 2015.
Injuries played a key role in the lack of production last season. He appeared in just 79 games while dealing with a variety of ailments, including two trips to the disabled list with hamstring problems. So it wasn't an encouraging sign when he got scratched from a spring training start due to a hamstring issue, especially since Tuesday's concern was again with the hamstring.
If the 25-year-old Cuba native is forced back out of the lineup, Crawford and Thompson should both get their fair share of opportunities to fill the void in right field. It should ensure there isn't a massive drop-off in overall production.
Ultimately, the Dodgers would love to see Puig get healthy and then stay that way for an extended period of time. But the injury issues continue to pop up, which is a concern for both the short and long term.
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