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Dodgers To Promote Yasiel Puig
The Dodgers tweet that they will promote outfielder Yasiel Puig, also noting that they have optioned pitcher Matt Magill to Triple-A Albuquerque make room. Puig, 22, was hitting .313/.383/.599 for Double-A Chattanooga. With Matt Kemp (hamstring) on the disabled list, Puig could appear in center field, although the Dodgers can use help throughout the outfield -- left fielder Carl Crawford left Saturday's game, also with a hamstring injury. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes (via Twitter) that the Dodgers think Puig profiles best as a right fielder, but suggests that they could use him at all three outfield spots.
Puig was the object of plenty of Spring Training hype when he batted .517/.500/.828 before being sent to the minors. He was listed at No. 47 in Baseball America's preseason list of the top 100 prospects in the game, and No. 70 on MLB.com's list. Baseball America's Prospect Handbook ranked Puig the Dodgers' No. 2 prospect (behind Hyun-Jin Ryu) and praised Puig's bat speed and raw power.
In 2012, the Dodgers signed the Cuban outfielder to a seven-year, $42MM deal that included a $12MM signing bonus. He is set to make $2MM this year and next, and $4.5MM in 2015, although he can opt into the arbitration process once he becomes eligible. If Puig were to stick in the big leagues, it's unclear at this point whether he might be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player after the 2015 season. (Here's more about Super Two eligibility.)
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