LOS ANGELES -- Outfielder Yasiel Puig, who signed a $42 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers this summer, is recovering from a staph infection in the back of his right elbow.
The team said Tuesday that the Cuban slugger is expected to make a full recovery in three to five weeks.
The infection, which is non-MRSA, involved the bursa of Puig's elbow and didn't invade the elbow joint. He initially was treated with oral antibiotics, which didn't work, the team said. His elbow was washed out on Sept. 18 and then immobilized to allow the incision to heal and remain closed.
Puig's elbow will remain immobilized until Oct. 15. He will stay at the Dodgers' Camelback Ranch spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz., until he regains full strength. He is expected to play in the Arizona Fall League, although his prospects of making the big-league roster remain unknown.
Puig defected from Cuba in early June after several failed attempts. He was considered the top prospect in the country's premier league.
The contract Puig signed is the largest ever for a Cuban amateur.
