What happened to Yasiel Puig?

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On August 14, 2019, Puig became a United States citizen.[76]

On July 17, 2020, Puig tested positive for COVID-19, nixing a deal he was expected to sign with the Atlanta Braves.[77]

In March 2021, ESPN reported that MLB investigators had interviewed a woman who said Puig had sexually assaulted her in a Staples Center bathroom during a Los Angeles Lakers game in October 2018.[78] Puig has denied the allegations, calling them "false and malicious".[78][79] The woman did not file a police report, but later filed a lawsuit.[78] In October 2021, Puig announced that he had settled his sexual assault lawsuit, and wished to return to MLB in 2022.[80]

As part of the disclosure from the 2020 lawsuit, Puig's attorneys claimed that Puig was broke, and that his earlier wealth from his successful career was nearly completely gone. The latest settlement was for $250,000 — with the accuser paying her own attorney's fees — due to fears that Puig had nothing left to offer had the accuser held out for more.[81]

In December 2021, it was reported in The Washington Post that Puig had secretly settled a lawsuit raised by two women who claimed that Puig sexually assaulted them in January 2017. Despite the allegations, Puig was allowed to continue to play and the public was not notified.[82][83]

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