Dodgers News: Yasiel Puig Has Shoulder Flareup, Limits Throwing

Tomorrow marks the first full-squad workout at Camelback Ranch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, although nearly the entire team has been in camp since earlier this week.

One of those already in attendance was Dodgers’ outfielder Yasiel Puig, who’s expected to be the team’s everyday right fielder. The 23-year-old had one of the best spring performances last season and will be looking to do more of the same this year; however, he may be off to a bit of a slower start this season.

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Puig has already suffered a minor setback this spring:

Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is already on a limited throwing program after a flareup of shoulder inflammation that bothered him sporadically last year.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly didn’t seem worried about the injury speaking to Gurnick:

We don’t think it’s serious, but we need to find out, Mattingly said, calling Puig’s reduced throwing ‘precautionary.’

Mattingly went on to add that Puig just overthrew his first day on the field and it’s the same issue he dealt with last year. Puig came to Los Angeles and had one of the better rookie seasons in recent Dodger history, hitting .319 with 19 home runs and 42 RBI in 104 games. He became known for his strong right arm with eight outfield assists, all from right field. The 23-year-old also had trouble harnessing his arm, often missing the cutoff man and drawing the ire of the coaches more than a few times.

If Puig’s arm continues to bother him, it’ll likely not keep him off the field unless it begins to affect his hitting. Puig will be taking a different approach this spring, as he is all but guaranteed the right field position and won’t be fighting for a spot like he was last season. This will benefit him in the fact that he can take his time in allowing his minor injury heal properly.

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