Toles' arrival provides spark as Puig hits DL

SAN DIEGO -- Outfielder Andrew Toles was recalled by the Dodgers from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday to replace the injured Yasiel Puig and wasted no time making an impact on the field and in the clubhouse.
Toles went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a walk, scoring twice in an 8-2 win over the Padres. That immediately eased concern over the loss of Puig, whose strained right intercostal oblique muscle will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks, and probably longer.
"With Andrew, it sort of doesn't matter at what level he plays, he plays at a certain speed, doesn't overthink things," said manager Dave Roberts. "Him being here brought a lot of energy. The guys were excited to get him here and welcomed him with open arms."

Part outfielder, part philosopher and totally unfiltered, Toles made his long-awaited return after missing most of last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, then having his recall delayed when he suffered a hamstring injury at Oklahoma City in April.
"They do a great job here making you feel comfortable," said Toles. "I'm just glad they welcomed me coming back."
In Toles' world, an example of the camaraderie is the ribbing he took when he arrived. It turns out he parked his car in the players' lot at Dodger Stadium before the season opened, then he got sent down, and the car's been parked there ever since.
"I have my car sitting in the parking lot in L.A., spiderwebs and dust. That's what [Matt] Kemp said, like, 'Dude, that thing's gross, man,'" Toles said.
"Yeah, [JT] Chargois sent me a text of it, it's pretty bad. People were drawing on it and stuff. It's fun here. Triple-A is fun, too, but not the same."

Toles doesn't always play by the book. After his eighth-inning single, he raced to third on Chase Utley's single and figured he could go in standing up, until realizing at the last moment that wasn't a real good idea, as Hunter Renfroe's throw nearly nailed him.
"I was looking at [third baseman Christian Villanueva] and reading his reaction and he kind of deeked me, did the last-minute tag so I would not slide," said Toles, who slid hard but avoided the tag and injury.
As for Puig, an MRI exam revealed a Grade 1 strain and Roberts said, "it's going to be a few weeks," but added, "With him and the time we have left in the season, we've got to be very careful. It can come back and bite you at any time, so we're going to be patient and make sure he is symptom free before he's ramped up."