Dodgers' Roberts wants Puig to have fresh start

Yasiel Puig is a getting a second shot with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the club parted ways with manager Don Mattingly, and hired the charismatic Dave Roberts as his replacement.

Roberts finally had a chance to speak with the troubled outfielder for the first time at Dodgers FanFest on Saturday, and he walked away from the conversation feeling confident about Puig's ability to succeed in 2016.

"I just had a good sit-down with him," Roberts said. "It was refreshing for me to have a good face-to-face with him, to talk about our vision, and it's more of, 'Let's wipe the slate clean' and everything's new. There's the same core of players but a completely new coaching staff, and we just want him to be himself and let's start fresh."

Trade rumors have been swirling around Puig for most of the offseason, and he was linked to a bar fight in Miami last fall, further compounding the headaches surrounding the 24-year-old Cuban. L.A. is counting on a bounce-back season from Puig after he was hampered by multiple hamstring injuries last season.

"When guys get the game taken away from them, they get a new perspective on things. ... I think there's a real rededication (by Puig)," said general manager Farhan Zaidi.

Puig was limited to 79 games in 2015, hitting .255/.322/.436 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs in 282 at-bats, a far cry from the .296/.382/.480 slash line he produced a year earlier.