Matt Kemp had previously filled the role of a former Los Angeles Dodgers player returning to Dodger Stadium for the first time, so much of the attention Monday went to Yasiel Puig. Along with Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood, Kemp and Puig were traded to the Cincinnati Reds last December.
While both made significant contributions and were key factors to the Dodgers reaching the World Series for a second consecutive year, the club was motivated to shed salary in effort to get below the luxury tax threshold.
Although Puig was conspicuously absent and more than an hour late to a scheduled press conference, Farmer, Kemp and Wood received their 2018 National League Championship Series rings.