(Updated: July 9, 2018 at 4:00 pm PT)

The moment – the very millisecond – that Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig doubled over in pain after fouling off a 92-mph sinker from Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney, there was zero doubt whatsoever that the 27-year-old Cienfuegos, Cuba native was headed for the disabled list. Even a novice could tell that Puig had strained his right rib cage; or a right intercostal oblique strain, as medical experts call it. And even a novice knows that the recovery time for such an injury can run anywhere from four to eight weeks … or longer.

You didn’t need to be a medical expert to figure this one out.
(Video capture courtesy of ESPN)

But while we anxiously await the result of Puig’s MRI schedule for Monday morning in Los Angeles, the team will have already arrived in San Diego to begin a four-game series with the NL West last place Padres, and the show, as they say, must go on. And by every indication, the show will include either 22-year-old Alex Verdugo or 26-year-old Andrew Toles as Puig’s replacement.

Please understand that this is pure speculation on my part and nothing is official until the Dodgers make it so. However, with the outstanding seasons that both Verdugo and Toles are having at Triple-A Oklahoma City, it would be a complete shock if it were anyone other than one of these two. Of course, the fact that both Verdugo and Toles are currently on the Dodgers 40-man roster pretty much removes the likelihood that it would be anyone else. (Note: 25-year-old outfielder Tim Locastro is also on the Dodgers 40-man roster, however he is currently on the 7-day DL and is on a rehab assignment in Arizona).

From a pure numbers standpoint, Verdugo holds a significant advantage over Toles, this in spite of the fact that Toles actually has more MLB experience than does Verdugo (79 games to 24 games). However, in the 57 games in which Verdugo has played in for the OKC Dodgers, he is 79-for-226 (.350), with a .393 on-base percentage and .513 slugging percentage, for an outstanding OPS of .907. He has also slugged seven home runs and 16 doubles, while driving in 34 runs.

In the 33 games in which Toles has appeared since himself returning from the DL for a strained right hamstring that had him on the DL for over seven weeks, he is 42-for-133 (.316), with a .355 on-base percentage and .474 slugging percentage for an OPS of .828, while hitting five home runs, 12 doubles, and driving in 15 runs.

Significant indeed.

From a numbers standpoint, Alex Verdugo holds the advantage, but from an MLB experience standpoint, Andrew Toles has the edge. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

For those of you who are into coincidences or even bizarre things, check this out: Andrew Toles made his major league debut with the Dodgers on (wait for it…) July 8, 2016 against (wait for it…) the San Diego Padres, albeit at Dodger Stadium. And while this has absolutely nothing to do with the price of tea in China – or anything else for that matter – it is a bit of a coincidence and a bit bizarre.

So there you have it. Puig’s replacement will most likely be Alex Verdugo or Andrew Toles.

Heads or tails.

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Update: July 9, 2018 at 4:00 pm PT:  Andrew Toles won the toss.