Yasiel Puig not in Dodgers' lineup
WASHINGTON - Yasiel Puig was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers starting lineup Monday night in Washington as the team tries to rule out the possibility he incurred a concussion when he collided hard with the right-field wall a day earlier against Miami.
Puig rammed his head, left arm and lower left leg against the fence as he tried to track down Jeff Baker's game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth of Sunday's 5-4 loss at Miami. The ball deflected off the wall and hit Puig in the face, and he fell to the ground on his stomach.
A physician administered a standardized concussion test known as a SCAT-3 on Sunday in Miami and Dodgers trainers repeated the test with Puig before Monday's game. Both times, Puig passed the test, but he also felt some lightheadedness when he tried to ride a stationary exercise bike, prompting the Dodgers to cut that activity short.
Puig tweeted earlier Monday in Spanish, telling his followers he is fine and hoped to play soon.
Mattingly said he has been told Puig might be available to pinch hit in Monday's game. Puig did not go through pregame warmups with the team, instead taking it easy in the trainer's room. Dodgers trainers asked that he not conduct any interviews with reporters to avoid extra stimulation.
"I haven't heard anything about a concussion. All I've heard is, 'soreness,' and [trainer] Stan [Conte] is being cautious," Mattingly said. "He hit hard. He hit the fence hard and he landed hard, so I think they're just making sure everything is OK."
The Dodgers have four everyday-caliber outfielders -- Andre Ethier moved into right field to replace Puig Monday -- but Puig has been by far the most effective so far this season. He is batting .309 with an .897 OPS. Ethier is batting .239 with a .647 OPS.
The Dodgers did get some encouraging injury news on pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who met with with team physician Neal ElAttrache Monday. He will not need further tests and will begin a throwing program Tuesday.
"Sounds like he's pain-free," Mattingly said.
Ryu is on the disabled list and hasn't pitched since April 27 because of left shoulder discomfort. Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to come off the DL to pitch Tuesday in Washington.
Also Monday, the Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Pedro Baez from Double-A Chattanooga and optioned right-hander Stephen Fife to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Fife was called up to pitch Sunday's game to start for left-hander Ryu, who was sidelined with a sore shoulder.
Baez was making his first appearance on the Dodgers' active roster, and it's expected to be a short one: Ace Clayton Kershaw (strained back) is scheduled to come off the disabled list Tuesday and start the second game of the series.
ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
