Right may be Puig’s job to lose

Roberts expects the controversial Dodger to be in right field ‘the majority of the time.’

PHOENIX — The package greeted Yasiel Puig upon his arrival in the Dodgers clubhouse. It was a wooden crate, stamped with the logo of the television network AMC. Inside was a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, a prop from the zombie apocalypse series “The Walking Dead.”

Puig posed for photos with the gift, even if he was puzzled by it.

“He doesn’t watch,” said a Dodgers official who translated for Puig, who was not interested in being interviewed. “He doesn’t know why they sent it.”

Like this publicity stunt, Puig’s place in the construction of the Dodgers roster is also curious. Unable to find a landing spot for him at last year’s trade deadline, unwilling to play him every day upon his return from a minor league demotion, the team once more considers him a vital cog in its outfield.

In remarks to reporters Friday morning, Manager Dave Roberts referred to Puig as, in essence, his starting right fielder.

“We expect him to be out there the majority of the time,” Roberts said. “Yasiel put in a lot of work this winter with his swing, his swing mechanics. And, obviously, the body looks great.”

The caveats here are numerous. The Dodgers possess a wealth of corner outfielders, a group that includes Andrew Toles, Andre Ethier, Franklin Gutierrez and Scott Van Slyke. Though Roberts sounds less than thrilled about the possibility of operating platoons in the corners, both Toles and Ethier could offer a better option than Puig against right-handed pitching.

The statistics do not favor Puig: He batted .265 with a .715 on-base plus slugging percentage against righthanders last season. In the smaller sample of 102 plate appearances, Toles hit .326 with an .893 OPS. In 2015, Ethier hit .306 against right-handers with a .900 OPS.

Neither Toles nor Ethier enters 2017 without worry. Toles has appeared in only 48 games and has yet to establish himself as a full-timer in the majors. Ethier missed the majority of 2016 with a broken leg. So there is an opportunity for Puig, even if he must prove he can handle right-handers in order to remain the starter in right.

“Even after last year, he grew a lot,” Roberts said. “I think he just wants to go out there and play. If he goes out there and plays well, he’ll be out in right field.”