Yasiel Puig Recalled by Dodgers from Triple-A Oklahoma City

After spending a month in Triple-A, Yasiel Puig has returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times first broke the news on Thursday, which the Dodgers confirmed on Friday. Puig was placed in the starting lineup, will bat fifth and play right field against the San Diego Padres.

Los Angeles sent the outfielder down to Triple-A at the start of August after a poor first four months of the season. He responded by hitting .348 with four home runs in 19 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Of course, his play on the field wasn't the only reason for the demotion.

Per McCullough, Puig showed up late to meetings and was inconsistent with his work habits, and manager Dave Roberts wanted the 25-year-old to "be a better person and baseball player."

The first couple of weeks in the Pacific Coast League didn't seem to change his attitude, as he posted partying videos on Snapchat.

However, he appeared to have a change of heart in recent days. He told ESPN.com's Marly Rivera that playing in the minors taught him humility and added his thoughts on his improved attitude:

"

I keep hitting. I'm behaving. I'm doing the work I have to do. What I did wrong before and I have been doing better the last two or three weeks that I've been here. [Being called up] does not depend on me. All I can do is try to improve what I did wrong, the things that got me sent me here. The rest does not depend on me, that's [a decision for] the GM, the president. Only God knows where I will end up.

"

"Yasiel has done everything we asked of him," Roberts said, per MLB Network Radio. "We felt ultimately that he makes us better, that was the deciding factor." 

Roberts also noted he and team president Andrew Friedman brought veteran players in to discuss the move with them, per MLB Network Radio. 

The Dodgers were reportedly still undecided about Puig's fate earlier in the week, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. They then placed him on waivers, where he was claimed by a team before the Dodgers decided to bring him back to the big league roster, per Today's Knuckleball (h/t ESPN.com).

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports explained L.A. can still trade him in the winter:

"

Player must be in organization by Wednesday to be eligible for playoffs. #Dodgers' Puig more likely trade candidate in off-season anyway.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 27, 2016"

Until then, he will likely be a part of the Dodgers and could play an important role down the stretch. With the squad involved in a tight division race with the San Francisco Giants in the NL West, L.A. will hope Puig not only plays well but also avoids being a distraction in the clubhouse.