Yasiel Puig was a late scratch from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup on Friday after he arrived late to the ballpark, according to various beat writers. He was replaced by Matt Kemp after reportedly showing up at about 10:15 a.m. while batting practice was already underway.
As of now, it is being reported that Puig was benched for his late arrival. Had the coaching staff known he was going to be tardy, you would think he would have been kept in the lineup. Apparently Puig thought he was supposed to be there at 10:00.
I'm told Puig thought he was supposed to be here by 10. Stretch was at 9:40.
— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) April 4, 2014
If this was any other player on the Dodgers, it probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal. However, Puig also showed up late for a game last year. The team joked about his tardiness on social media after that incident, but it would appear that Don Mattingly was not amused on Friday.
Unless Puig has a very valid excuse for why he was late, he’s going to give the media in LA even more reason to be all over him. He supposedly called a meeting with his coaches and teammates last week to ask how he can improve off the field. I doubt anyone advised him to take his time getting to the ballpark.
