Yasiel Puig never coming back to Los Angeles Dodgers now

So much for Yasiel Puig and his dream of returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Although Puig had not suited up for the Dodgers since 2018, he had made it clear that he hoped to one day return to Los Angeles. There had been some hope that, after his strong showing in the Korean Baseball Organization this past year, he could find his way back to the majors, even if it was not with his original franchise.

Yasiel Puig is never returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Puig’s hopes to returning to the majors, let alone the Dodgers, are now over. He has agreed to plead guilty to one count of making false statements, a charge that carries a maximum of five years in federal prison. As it is, he has agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000 and make an initial appearance in court on November 15.

That charge is due to an investigation into an illegal gambling operation and a number of wagers Puig had placed. He had begun placing wagers in May 2019 through a third party and, by June of the same year, owed the operation just under $283,000 in losses. He then withdrew $200,000 in a pair of cashier’s checks made out to the third party to cover those losses and have access to the site he had placed those wagers. He had lied to federal investigators several times in various interviews, even when confronted with those checks, during the investigation.

Puig is not the only former major league player that was involved. Former major league pitcher Eric Hiljus was an agent for the operation and agreed to plead guilty to two charges of filing false tax returns. He faces up to six years in federal prison.

This effectively ends any hope that Puig has of ever returning to the majors. Despite the league deciding to cozy up to sports gambling, the players wagering on games is still forbidden. For Puig, a player whose mercurial personality and temperament had already kept him out of the league for the past three years, this is the final nail in the coffin.

It remains to be seen if this is the end of his days in baseball altogether. Puig theoretically could continue his career overseas, although he could face punishment there as well. What is clear, however, is that his time in the majors is over.

Yasiel Puig had wanted to find his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers before his career ended. That time has already come and gone.