Unsatisfied with Yasiel Puig’s performance during the first month of the season, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts moved him into the leadoff spot for Sunday’s series finale. The move might look counterintuitive -- giving more at-bats to a player stuck in a rotten stretch of hitting -- but Roberts felt it could convey a message.
“It was more of getting him in that mindset of getting on base,” Roberts said. “You look at the last [few weeks] where he’s coming out of the strike zone, being extra aggressive, swinging at balls out of the zone. Putting him in the leadoff spot might temper that a little bit.