Too Many Offseason Fried Plantains for Yasiel Puig?

Apparently Yasiel Puig has tacked on a few extra pounds over the offseason- 26 to be exact. Puig weighed in at 251 pounds when he checked into camp, and according to Mark Saxon of ESPN it may be an area of concern for the Dodgers.

"“We don’t feel it’s going to be a problem, but we’re paying attention to it, put it that way,” Mattingly told ESPNLosAngeles.com."

Our very own Kenny Shulsen was there at Camelback Ranch on Friday, and in his description of seeing Yasiel Puig up close in person for the very first time, he described Puig as “carved directly out of granite.”

Yasiel Puig’s face looks a bit chubby in this picture, but it’s nothing to be worried about. Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Remember all the hubbub about Hyun-jin Ryu‘s conditioning last offseason at the start of Spring Training? Ryu went on to have one of the more memorable rookie seasons by a Dodgers starting pitcher in awhile. Ryu may look chubby at first glance, but he has calves of steel.

Puig has plenty of time to shed some weight this Spring Training if needed, but it’s hard for me to tell if he in fact gained weight in the form of fat or if he has just bulked up. This offseason wasn’t exactly quiet for the Cuban phenomenon, and Puig had just recently apologized for his speeding arrest last December in Miami.

26 pounds is a significant amount of weight gain. The Dodgers should absolutely monitor this situation, and the training staff better step in to make sure the star outfielder is prepared for Opening Day. Puig has been sidelined and relegated to limited workouts after some shoulder inflammation flared up, and he subsequently fouled a ball off his leg which caused a bruise on his thigh.

Right now the weight gain doesn’t worry me too much. Puig arrived early in camp, and he hasn’t been tagged as out of shape by anyone who has seen him in workouts. During the offseason, he posted images on Instagram as he worked out over the winter.

It’s not like Puig is Andruw Jones or anything. Mike Trout gained weight after the 2012 season, and he had a fantastic 2013 for

Yasiel Puig resumed limited workouts on Friday at Camelback Ranch. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

the Angels. Let me tell you, Cuban food is quite delicious. Perhaps Puig should slow down on the chicken and rice and fried plantains a bit, but there’s no reason to call him fat by any means. All the photos I have seen don’t seem to show a heavier Puig in my eyes. Puig has always been very stocky, and it could be just muscle weight gain. Then again, it may be that he let himself go a bit this offseason. Either way, he’ll have to tone up this Spring.

Yasiel Puig has a lot to prove in his sophomore season, and I look forward to his maturity as both a player and a person. The Wild Horse really impressed last Spring by hitting over .500 in Cactus League play, but this Spring Training may be a bit more of a challenge as he looks to meet lofty expectations. I think if anything, a roadblock could be mental not physical for him in his first full year in the Majors. He’ll want to improve upon his first season which began with a flashy Dodger debut last June and followed with his firecracker season propelling him to fan favorite.

Puig resumed limited workouts on Friday, and he tossed a medicine ball against a wall and hit in the batting cage. His bruised right thigh is still sore.