Dodgers: Puig’s Appeal is Denied, Will Serve Suspension Tonight

It looks like the Dodgers will be without Yasiel Puig for the next couple of nights. The right fielder officially had his suspension appeal overruled by Major League Baseball today and will start serving it immediately.

Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig will serve a two-game suspension starting tonight against the New York Mets for his actions during the San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game in August 14, 2018.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 4, 2018

The decision does not come as much of a surprise in itself. The real surprise is how long it took for the league to make a denial decision. It was pretty clear that Puig would receive some sort of punishment when he shoved Nick Hundley at home plate in the middle of an at-bat last month. Most people within the organization were concerned with how long the actual suspension would be.

Looking Ahead

Nevertheless, the league has made its decision. Puig will sit tonight and tomorrow but will be eligible to return against Colorado this weekend. Thankfully, the September roster expansions make this punishment hurt much less. Alex Verdugo is likely to see more playing time tonight and tomorrow as a result. And perhaps the timing is perfect. Puig has just right hits since August 13th, putting him at a .163 average in that span.