Yasiel Puig benched by Dogers after failing to run hard
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts benched outfielder Yasiel Puig after he didn’t run hard enough for a double in an 8-2 win over the Reds on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was expected to have a rebound season in 2016 after a very rough season in 2015. That has not been the case, as Puig has had an even worse season in 2016 than he had in 2015. His nightmare season continued on Tuesday night during an 8-2 win over the Reds. Puig was benched by manager Dave Roberts after Puig didn’t run out a potential double, only get a single out of it.
Puig removed from game because Roberts said "he needed to be on 2B", saying "we talk about playing the game the right way".
— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) May 25, 2016
This has become a concerning trend for Puig, who has not been able to replicate the success that he had during his rookie season in 2013, when he finished second place in Rookie of the Year voting after hitting 19 home runs with a .925 OPS and a .319 batting average. Since then, Puig has been getting worse, which has to be concerning for the Dodgers.
To his credit, Puig said all the right words after the incident. However, at this points, Puig needs to back up his words with actions. The Dodgers’ patience with Puig has to be wearing thin. He has had his name in trade rumors since the 2015 trade deadline. If Puig doesn’t improve quickly or at least give the Dodgers a reason to keep the faith with him, his name will keep on getting mentioned in trade rumors and the Dodgers might decide to move on from him.
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