What really happened to Yasiel Puig yesterday

Dodger fans breathed a sigh of relief that Yasiel Puig was not more badly injured in yesterday’s game. By Owen Main

Last night, Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig dove for a ball in the outfield, landing awkwardly and prompting left fielder Jerry Hairston to signal quickly for the trainer. Don Mattingly and trainer Sue Falsone rushed out to center field, fearing the worst.

“I thought he probably bent his hand,” said Mattingly. “I’ve seen a lot of guys dive and get the glove trapped… and you end up bending back a thumb or a wrist.”

Hairston’s signal to the dugout came as a result of Puig’s reaction.

“He was hurt,” said Hairston. “He was kind of screaming. So anytime you hear a guy kind of screaming and knowing that he was in pain, you’ve got to call for the training staff. Obviously he’s had a great spring, he’s got a lot of talent. You hate to see a guy get hurt, but from what I hear he’ll be fine, so that’s a good thing.”

Reports after the game said he just had the wind knocked out of him. The Dodgers took him out of the game as a precaution.

Puig played Saturday night, replacing Carl Crawford in the fourth inning. He promptly doubled in his first at-bat and scored on a double by Matt Kemp. Puig singled in his next two at-bats and is now hitting .547 this spring (29-53) with zero walks and 10 strikeouts.