Yasiel Puig was getting closer to returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup this weekend before he re-injured his left hamstring running to first base on Friday during a rehab assignment with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. Now the latest news might be worse.
Puig underwent an MRI on Monday and the results came back on Tuesday afternoon. According to Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times, manager Don Mattingly said there was no new tear in the outfielder's hamstring, but he indeed suffered a setback and it's not "necessarily good news."
"[Puig] is no longer being given permission to run on his bad hamstring. Don't expect to see him back on a major league field for quite some time," writes ESPN Insider AJ Mass.
Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register says the 24-year-old's best-case-scenario is a return in about two weeks, considering the injury's tendency to linger if not rested properly. Puig has played in only 11 games this season ever since suffering the hamstring strain on Apr. 13. However, the Dodgers have been successful in his absence and remain atop the NL West with a 22-10 record, which is good for second-best in the MLB.
"The problem with hamstrings is that they can feel great until you burst out of the batter's box and then it goes again, so they're tricky," said MLB.com's Dodgers reporter Ken Gurnick. "I'm guessing, especially since they're winning without him, that they'll shut him down even longer than they did this past time, but again it's all speculation until we hear what the doctor has to say."
Puig hit the disabled list on Apr. 26 and missed a number of games before that as he tried to play through the injury. The muscle is still damaged and Los Angeles cannot risk losing him for the long-term because their early success has put them in a good position to maintain contender status in the coming months. They'll need Puig if they hope to make the postseason.
Mattingly said he doesn't think Puig will have to start all over again in the rehab process, but the Dodgers may take that route to avoid having this happen again at a more crucial point in the season.
