With the August 1 trade deadline less than two weeks away, the last thing … the very last thing that the Dodgers needed was for one of the guy’s whose name is being tossed around as a key trading piece to pull up lame – literally.

In the top of the seventh inning of Thursday’s matinee game between the Dodgers and Washington Nationals at hot and humid Nationals Park, Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig, who had just entered the game as part of a double switch and was making his first plate appearance, very visibly injured his right hamstring as he was trying to leg out a grounder. Just prior to reaching the bag, the 25-year-old oft-controversial Cienfuegos, Cuba native grimaced in pain and then did a little crow hop after crossing the bag. As soon as he did, Nationals first baseman Daniel Murphy immediately pointed towards Puig as if to indicate that he may be injured.

There was zero doubt that Puig injured his right hamstring while trying to leg out a grounder on Thursday afternoon. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Although the Dodger outfielder returned to the dugout without a noticeable limp, he did not come out for the bottom half of the inning on defense and was instead replaced by utility outfielder / first baseman Scott Van Slyke.

After the game – which the Dodgers won by a score of 6-3 – Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that he did not know “the degree” of Puig’s possible hamstring injury. But given the fact that Puig returned from the disabled list exactly one month ago to the day for a strained left hamstring and appeared in only 79 games last season due to injuries to both hamstrings, Thursday’s latest issue can’t be good.

Should Puig land on the disabled list (again), he would become the 23rd Dodger player to do so this season (unless someone beats him there) with 65 games still to play. And though the Dodgers will most likely give it a day or two before deciding if a return trip to the DL is necessary for Puig, one has to believe that his “right hamstring tightness” (as it was being called) won’t just suddenly get better by him just sitting for a couple of days. And with the trade deadline a mere 10 days out, Puig, in all likelihood, has fallen off the trading block.

While this may appease Puig fans, of which there are many, it most certainly throws a monkey wrench into the Dodgers plans of using him to acquire starting or bullpen pitching help.