Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson Out After Collision With Yasiel Puig
By Nick Fustor
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson missed Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals after a rough collision in the outfield with teammate Yasiel Puig on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers nearly lost two key members of their outfield after Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig collided during Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The players collided when Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina hit a long line drive to right-center field, and both Pederson and Puig attempted to make the play at the warning track. Both players appeared to be running at full speed to make the catch, and didn’t see each other until they collided.
Puig’s left elbow apparently hit the side of Pederson’s head, and Pederson then lost his hat and glove and his head crashed into the outfield wall. Puig, somehow, held on to make the catch.
Pederson was later diagnosed with a neck strain, but told reporters he was feeling better on Wednesday. As what could simply be a precaution, he was held out of Wednesday night’s game. Puig, however, was able to play in Wednesday’s game. He did suffer sore ribs following the incident, but the ailment didn’t seem to be anything too serious.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that he didn’t question Puig’s status after speaking with him.
“Once he said he could come back in and play, and I got verification from the training staff, I didn’t want to ask too many more questions,” Roberts said.
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Both Pederson and Puig have underperformed this season, but are still integral parts of the Dodgers outfield alignment. Pederson is hitting just .200 with a .623 OPS and 2 home runs in 35 games this season. While it’s still early, his production is far off the 25-home run pace he set in the past two seasons.
Puig was off to a hot start in the first week of the season, but has since struggled to play consistently well. His .234 average isn’t great, but a .726 OPS indicates that he’s performing slightly better than the standard numbers show. Additionally, his eight homers put him on pace to break his career-high of 19 set in his rookie season in 2013.
Chris Taylor replaced Pederson in the lineup on Wednesday.
Without a clear backup in center field, Taylor – normally an infielder – could see time in the outfield going forward. He’s hitting over .300 while displaying impressive power and a clear ability to draw walks.
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Pederson doesn’t figure to miss extended time, but it’ll be worth monitoring Taylor’s playing time in the outfield if he manages to handle center field and Pederson continues to struggle at the plate.