Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, left, tosses his bat as he hits a three-run home run while Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin Maldonado watches during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig hits a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, right, celebrates as he hits a three-run home run while Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin Maldonado watches during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, left, walks off the field as a trainer, center, and manager Dave Roberts, right, follow after Puig was injured while batting during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig gestures after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, watches the ball go out as he hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Angels’ Albert Pujols rounds first as he hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Angels’ Albert Pujols, right, hits a solo home run as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes watches during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Young fans spray themselves with water during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp shields himself from the sun during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, right, is congratulated by Matt Kemp, left, and Logan Forsythe after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Angels’ Albert Pujols, right, rounds third after hitting a solo home run as Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood wipes his head during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Justin Anderson throws to the plate during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ANAHEIM – Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig left Sunday’s game against the Angels with a right intercostal/oblique strain and is unlikely to play again before the All-Star break.
Manager Dave Roberts said that Puig will have an MRI on Monday in Los Angeles, and he anticipates a disabled list stint will follow. The Dodgers begin a four-game series in San Diego on Monday night. Three more games against the Angels will follow. Puig could go on the 10-day disabled list and be eligible to return July 20 in Milwaukee, the Dodgers’ first game after the All-Star break.
Puig said he has never had a similar injury in the past.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be out,” he said.
Puig hit a three-run home run against Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney in his first at-bat Sunday. That accounted for all of the Dodgers’ runs in a 4-3 loss. In his second at-bat, Puig reached for his right side after swinging at a 1-and-1 fastball from Heaney in the fifth inning. He briefly conferred with an athletic trainer and Roberts before leaving the game.
Puig and Roberts both described the injury as a result of an overswing. After taking a ball to begin the at-bat, he swung and missed at Heaney’s second pitch, a changeup.
“The second swing, I tried to hit the fastball out in front,” Puig said. “I tried to hit it a little bit quicker. That’s when I felt it.”
Including a solo home run Saturday, Puig hit the Dodgers’ only two home runs in the Freeway Series. In 76 games this season, Puig has a .265 batting average, a .325 on-base percentage and a .462 slugging percentage.
Puig spent 10 days on the DL after he suffered injuries to his hip and foot in San Francisco on April 29. He has gone to the disabled list twice in his career with injuries to his left hamstring, and once with an injury to his right hamstring, but had never missed time with an upper body injury.
If Puig indeed goes on the disabled list, the Dodgers have internal options in the outfield at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Alex Verdugo is batting .350 in 57 games for the Dodgers’ top farm team but has missed the past three games with a minor ankle injury. In nine major league games this year, Verdugo went 9-for-34 (.265) with four doubles and two walks.
Andrew Toles spent nearly two months on the Triple-A disabled list with a hamstring injury before returning on June 5. He has a .326 batting average and four home runs in 34 games.
Both Toles and Verdugo have some major league experience. Henry Ramos (.290 batting average, seven home runs for Oklahoma City), Kyle Garlick (.280, 11 HRs) and Edwin Rios (.302, four HRs) do not.
In the meantime, Roberts said that Matt Kemp will get the “lion’s share” of innings in right field while Puig recovers.
“That would be a big loss,” Kemp said of Puig, “but we have guys who can step up and make it happen.”
