Los Angeles Dodgers Yasiel Puig on the Team’s Roster for NLDS vs. Mets

By Cheri Cheng - 08 Oct '15 11:30AM
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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig said that he will be on the team's roster for the National League division series versus the New York Mets, which starts on Friday.

"I'm very happy I've been given the opportunity to prepare with the team," Puig, who is from Cuba, said via a translator.

Puig, 24, has been rehabbing a strained right hamstring throughout all of September. He returned last week and played in two games. Puig's role in the NLDS, however, will most likely be as the back up.

"This is a time of no egos," manager Don Mattingly said. "It's all about one thing and that's walking out of here with a 'W' on Friday. It's not about who is the star."

Mattingly stated on Tuesday that Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford will be getting the starts over Puig. Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke currently has an injured right wrist.

Puig is .255/.322/.436 (109 OPS+) in 79 games this season with 11 homeruns and 38 RBIs. The upcoming series will mark the third consecutive time that Puig has played in the playoffs since getting called up. During last year's NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, Puig batted .250 with one RBI, a triple and four runs scored over four games.

The Dodgers will officially announce their NLDS roster, which will be made up of 25 players, on Friday morning before Game 1. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers will get the start against right-hander Jacob deGrom.

Kershaw is the league leader in strikeouts with 301. Despite a 1.22 ERA over his past 17 starts, Kershaw's postseason numbers are not as good. In his postseason career, he is 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA.

deGrom, the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, is 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA this season. He started once against the Dodgers this season and only allowed two hits over 7 2/3 innings.

The best-of-five series begins Friday at Dodgers Stadium in LA at 9:45 p.m. on TBS.

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