Los Angeles Dodgers: Yasiel Puig Out Tonight Vs. D’Backs

Puig won’t get a chance to retaliate against the Diamondbacks on field for the crazy brawl that happened last night, at least not tonight. Don Mattingly has Puig on the bench tonight versus the Diamondbacks and Patrick Corbin (9-0, 1.98.) While Puig was hit in the face last night, his absence tonight is unrelated to that. He was also seem limping a few times, notably down the line and in right field. This injury is apparently unrelated to that as well.

Ken Rosenthal reports that Puig is out of the lineup tonight due to a sore throwing shoulder. Perhaps he suffered his injury during the brawl, where he was seen throwing punches right and left. Perhaps he got shoved hard in the shoulder and that is what is causing the problem. Or, more likely, it’s just a sore arm and isn’t related to the brawl at all.

The Dodgers, who are scuffling offensively, definitely could have used Puig’s bat in the lineup tonight. Patrick Corbin, the D’Backs scheduled starter, is an incredible 9-0 on the year with an even more incredibly 1.98 ERA on the season. The Dodgers are 28th in baseball in runs scored with 226, ahead of just the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins. Their team OPS is also a dreadful .698, good for 21st in baseball right behind the Chicago Cubs.

Losing Puig, who has hit an incredible .471/.500/.882 with 4 homers and 10 RBI already in his first 9 games, hurts. However, the injury, at least right now, doesn’t seem to be anything too serious. It’s likely that Mattingly will have Puig back in the lineup after a few games. His injury is officially being called a strained right shoulder.