Yasiel Puig leaves game early after taking pitch to left hand
By Hayden Kane
Yasiel Puig tried to check his swing. But as the offering from Joe Kelly bore in on his hands, he was not able to check his swing soon enough. He took the pitch on the left hand, and while he tried to stay in initially, he eventually had to exit the game because of the injury.
Matt Kemp, accompanied by his uncertain status with the franchise, eventually entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Puig. According to Buster Olney.
Matt Kemp in the on-deck circle and will bat for Puig; may be related, but Puig was hit on the hand by a pitch earlier in the game.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 19, 2014
Dodgers say: Puig was removed from the game with a sore left hand, from when he was hit earlier in the game.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 19, 2014
During a season in which hand injuries have arguably played a disproportionate role in the fates of certain contending teams, the Dodgers will hope that this is nothing more than a minor ding for Puig. For all of their moving parts in the outfield, Puig is the one sure thing in right field, or at least he is supposed to be.
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The 23-year-old Puig is batting .309/.394/.520 through 91 games this season. Coming off an appearance in the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game, Puig and the Dodgers will hope that this injury doesn’t cost their outfielder more than a game or two as they try to make sense of their lineup for a playoff run.