Yasiel Puig returns to Dodgers lineup for finale against Marlins

Yasiel Puig will start in right field and bat cleanup for the Dodgers in their series finale against the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Puig didn’t start any of the team’s last four games because of a ruptured callus on his left hand.

“It’s just starting to toughen up,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

Puig appeared in the previous two games as a late-inning substitute.

Puig has played in only 29 games this season, during which he has batted .306 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in.

Over his last 500 at-bats, Puig has hit 10 home runs. He has batted .282 over that period, but has a .363 on-base percentage, which is considered well above average.

“We’ve seen him jump on the scene and make this huge splash,” Mattingly said. “It’s been pretty normal after that. Obviously, you see the talent level is kind of on the ceiling. Then you have to perform to that.”

Will he?

“It’s almost up to him,” Mattingly said. “Is he going to be able to make adjustments? I talk about it all the time, right? Is he a guy that is just up there reacting? Or does he actually have a game plan when he walks up there?”

At this point, Mattingly said, Puig often falls into the former category.

“Pitchers are predictable, too,” Mattingly said. “You understand what they can do over time. But you don’t understand it if you don’t watch and study. I think hitters, in general, they make adjustments and get better or they kind of stay the same and that’s why you see guys come in, do well and he’s still the same now three years later.”