LOS ANGELES _ The rift between Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and outfielder Yasiel Puig widened Monday as Roberts benched Puig for the second game in a row, this time after Puig showed up late for a pregame activity.
"No one player can be bigger than the team," Roberts said before the game against San Diego. "The priority has got to be for all of us. For me, that was a decision that he made, not me."
The incident recalled a bygone era of dysfunction for the Dodgers, when each transgression by Puig became magnified. Roberts suggested his frustration with Puig has built in recent weeks, despite decent production from Puig at the plate combined with excellent defense in right field.
On Monday, the man who coined the hashtag #PuigNotLate could not live up to its billing.
Roberts' irritation first emerged publicly Saturday night, when Puig got thrown out at second base to end the Dodgers' loss to San Francisco. "Bad baseball," Roberts called the play, and he kept Puig on the bench for Sunday's game. He insisted he needed to trust the players he put into the lineup.
Roberts hoped to offer Puig a fresh slate Monday. Instead, he described himself as "very disappointed" in Puig's tardiness.
"At this point in time, the last thing we all need to be concerning ourselves with is somebody whose sole focus isn't on the ballclub," Roberts said. "This is the decision that I made that I felt was in the best interest of our ballclub."
For the Dodgers, the timing is far from ideal. With the postseason less than two weeks away, the lineup is ailing. Corey Seager has been sidetracked because of an injured elbow. Justin Turner sat out again Monday because of an injured thumb.
Puig's contributions in 2017 include a career-high 26 home runs and an .814 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
His production does not permit misbehavior, Roberts said. On Sunday evening, a Dodgers official explained, Puig was sent a message telling him to be at the ballpark by 3 p.m. Monday for early batting practice. Puig did not arrive on time. He was at his locker when the clubhouse opened to reporters at 3:20 p.m.
Puig declined to offer his side of the story.
"I don't want to talk about that," he said, before walking away from his locker.
Roberts met with Adam Katz, Puig's agent, before the Dodgers took batting practice. Katz declined comment.
When Roberts met with reporters for his pregame news conference, he indicated he had not spoken to Puig. He did not have an explanation for Puig showing up late. Roberts spent batting practice in a meeting with Puig, according to people familiar with the situation. A Dodgers official said Roberts planned to start Puig on Tuesday.
Roberts looked pained as he discussed Puig's benching. He tried to leaven his criticism with praise for Puig's performance on the field.
"He's made tremendous strides," Roberts said. "He's been great. He's had a fantastic year. But I hold everyone, and we hold everyone, to the same standard. And that's the way it should be. It's pretty simple."
Puig, 26, has been a magnet for controversy throughout his career as a Dodger. The organization hoped Puig had moved past those days. After being demoted to the minors last summer, Puig returned to the team chastened by the experience, and insistent on his maturation.
