Dodgers’ Dave Roberts On Yasiel Puig Back In The Starting Lineup

The relationship between Dave Roberts and Yasiel Puig was looking very unsettling, but luckily it seems like the tide is turning.

On Monday, Dave Roberts spoke to reporters about having Puig back in the starting lineup and it was all positive. Roberts equated his relationship with Puig to that of a father and son, and surprisingly it works. It works really well in understanding these past few days.

Dave Roberts said he and Yasiel Puig have "respect and love" for one another. #Dodgers

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) September 26, 2017

"….My son's not grounded. He's allowed to leave the room, get on the field and play with his friends."

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) September 26, 2017

Dave Roberts’ biggest emphasis this weekend was that he needs to be able to trust his players, and I don’t think this is too much to ask for. The postseason will bring high-leverage situations for everybody on the 25-man roster and Roberts needs to make sure that they will make the right decision.

Should Roberts have benched Puig for making one mistake on Saturday? Maybe not. But maybe he felt like he needed to in order to make sure that Puig understood Roberts’ position on the matter. As for Puig being benched on Monday, that’s all on him for showing up late to the field.

From defending Pedro Baez from disgruntled Dodger fans to sticking up for a struggling Logan Forsythe all year long, Roberts has proven that he has all of his players’ backs. And let’s not forget that Puig was moved to batting 5th right behind Cody Bellinger, showing that Roberts has a lot of faith in the quality of at-bat that Yasiel Puig is going to have every time.

With all of that said, this “drama” between Dave Roberts and Yasiel Puig is behind the Dodgers now and that is what is most important. Personally, I’m looking forward to watching Puig finish the year strong and, hopefully, come up huge in October!