Yasiel Puig was the talk of the MLB when he made his debut back in 2013. In just 104 games that year he batted .319/.391/.534 with 66 runs scored, 19 home runs and 42 RBIs. He's now in danger of becoming a part-time player in 2015 due to his struggles in his third season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Previous rumors found the Dodgers were willing to trade Puig for the right price prior to the non-waiver deadline. Other speculation went as far to say the organization was losing faith in the 24-year-old, but chairman Mark Walter told the Los Angeles Times he remained optimistic regarding Puig.
At this point in the season, with Puig batting just .246/.319/.417 with 24 runs scored, 8 home runs and 29 RBIs in 64 games due to his struggles against right-handed pitching, it appears as if he's not going to be in the lineup every day moving forward.
"I just let him know that he's not just going to automatically be out of there against righties. He's going to be in there, it's just occasional days off," manager Don Mattingly told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. "I know a couple have come here recently as we want to mix Carl [Crawford] back in."
"We definitely want to mix it up," Mattingly added, via Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think anybody's going to be affected in a negative way. The days off are good for Yasiel. Honestly when he gets them - I don't know if he was just used to playing less in Cuba - but his focus seems to be sharper when he's getting a day off a week. I don't think it's going to affect any body negatively. It helps Carl and it really helps all of us."
Puig was not in the lineup on Friday against Philles' right-hander David Buchanan or Sunday against Pirates' right-hander Charlie Morton. Last season Puig dominated against right-handers and batted .307/.384/.516 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs in 430 at-bats, but this season he's slashing just .240/.300/.393 with 5 home runs and 23 RBIs in 183 at-bats. Sure, the two sample sizes are vastly different, but he has yet to show significant improvement in a favorable hitting lineup since coming off the disabled list two months ago.
With the Dodgers in the midst of a tight division race with the San Francisco Giants, it's pretty evident through Mattingly's comments that he will not rely on Puig down the stretch. Perhaps this will spur more trade rumors between now and August 31 (when waiver deals are still permitted), but it's more likely there will be talk of such happenings in the offseason.
Nonetheless, this development further supports the notion that the Dodgers may be losing faith in Puig. Such a drastic managerial decision by Mattingly would probably have to be discussed with the front office/ownership, and if that's the case moving forward, Puig may no longer be the darling of the organization.
