MLB
Yasiel Puig set for MLB return?
The Cuban right fielder has not played in the Major Leagues for four years, but could return for the 2024 season.
In the 2013 season, Yasiel Puig was considered one of the best players in the Major Leagues with a very bright future as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But his career didn’t progress as expected and ten years on, after stints in Mexico and South Korea, he finds himself playing in the Dominican Republic with Estrellas Orientales. It’s been four years since he last played in Major League Baseball but that could change in the coming weeks.
At 33 years old, Puig could make his return for the 2024 season as a number of MLB franchises are interested in hiring him according to journalist Francys Romero. Among those teams are the Tampa Bay Rays, who remain in pole position to repatriate the outfielder next season, but the rest is unknown.
Disciplinary record
Yasiel Puig’s last appearance in the Majors was in September 2019 with the Cleveland Indians. That season he started with the Cincinnati Reds and in July he was traded to Cleveland as part of a three-way trade teams and seven players.
He played 49 games with the Indians and seemed to be back to his best thanks to his arm strength playing in right field and his high hitting percentage. But as has happened throughout his career, problems off the diamond have cut short his time in the Major Leagues.
In November 2022 he pleaded guilty to lying in a federal investigation into an illegal betting operation and the league decided not to investigate him since he had not been linked to any franchise since 2019. Puig has to appear in court Los Angeles court at the end of January to hear his final sentence.