PHOENIX _ Yasiel Puig smiled as he held the cellphone and watched the replay. His bat flip was back, and it was majestic.
Celebrate the game? Puig did, and so did Major League Baseball, posting that replay on its Twitter account for 7 million followers to see, with the tag "early bat flip of the year contender."
Puig hit his first home run of the spring Sunday, deep onto the grass berm behind left-center field. The ball went high and far, and so did the bat.
"I haven't flipped the bat like that in a while," he said, "because I haven't hit the ball like that in a while."
Said manager Dave Roberts: "He's in midseason form with the bat flip. I think he earned that one."
The Los Angeles Dodgers would love for Puig to reclaim his job as the everyday right fielder, but he needs to improve on his .386 slugging percentage against right-handers last season. In 13 at-bats off right-handers this spring, he has four hits _ three for extra bases, including Sunday's home run.
He also has had what Roberts called "empty at-bats" _ swinging at the first pitch, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, making weak contact.
"He's continually trying to clean up his approach and his at-bats," Roberts said.
Puig's on-base-plus-slugging percentage has declined in each of his first four seasons; the Dodgers demoted him last August over concern about his fading production and aloof clubhouse manner. He declined to say what statistics the Dodgers might reasonably expect from him this season.
"What I really want to focus on is what sent me to triple A _ be a better teammate, get here on time, follow the rules," Puig said. "Everything else is up to God."
Puig said two years ago that he would cut back on his bat flips so as not to be perceived as disrespecting the game. Is a bat flip as grand as the one on Sunday back in his game now?
"If I hit the ball like that again," he said, laughing.
