Los Angeles Dodgers

Yasiel Puig was more than AN HOUR late to Dodger Stadium on Monday -- missing a ring presentation from his former boss -- and it's all because he was out SHOPPING!

TMZ Sports shot video of the Cincinnati Reds star lunching at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills around noon -- and then going on a fancy shopping spree to some of the most expensive shops in L.A. ... James Perse, Saint Laurent and more.

Our photog says Puig ventured out to Rodeo Drive and shopped until at least 3 PM -- the exact time Puig was scheduled to meet with media members at Dodger Stadium.

The former Dodgers outfielder didn't get to the Stadium until 4:10 -- missing a planned media session.

Also, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and owner Mark Walter tried to meet with all of the Dodgers who were traded to the Reds this off-season to present them with their 2018 NLCS rings ... but since Puig was tardy, he missed that moment too.

Instead, Roberts and Walter met with Matt Kemp, Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood outside the Reds clubhouse ... while Puig was still M.I.A.

The good news for Puig ... when he did finally show up, he showed out -- smacking a 2-run home run off Clayton Kershaw in the 1st inning.

If you don't get a Tommy Lasorda bobblehead at a Dodgers game this season, now ya know why ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers are suing a promotions company after they claim they were stiffed out of 42,000 Lasorda bobbleheads ... this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

In a lawsuit filed by the team Tuesday ... L.A. says it entered into an agreement with Plan P2 Promotions to make thousands of "100% hand-painted, break-resistant poly-resin" Lasorda dolls.

The plan, it seems, was to give the 7-inch figurines away at a game later this season.

The problem?? The Dodgers claim the company never delivered the Tommy goods ... and now, the MLB organization is suing for $175,000 for breaking the terms of the contract.

The good news for L.A. fans?? The giveaways will still go on -- the Dodgers have already handed out a Walker Buehler figurine ... and have 11 more bobblehead nights planned.

Eight of those dolls are already set -- they include guys like Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen -- but the team's yet to say who will be a part of the final three bobblehead giveaways.

Does that leave the door open for another company to swoop in and save the day with the Lasorda bobbleheads???

Wanna see what it takes to fix a broken face after getting hit with a 98 mph ball???

MLB pitcher Josh Ravin took a screaming line drive to the face while playing for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, Gwinnett Stripers, last June. It was a scary sight ... JR dropped to the ground in pain and had to be carted off the field.

Fast-forward to today ... and Ravin is showing off all the work that had to be put into fixin' his mug after the unfortunate incident ... and it's giving off Terminator vibes!!!

"This photo is the end result.. 5 fractures, a concussion, plastic surgery, 2 plates and 11 screws later," Ravin says, showing off an x-ray of the finished product.

"Here I Am! A bionic, terminator looking human, More determined than ever!..I've always considered myself a 'savage' but I never thought it'd be possible to become an even BIGGER SAVAGE!"

Ravin -- who's a flamethrower with a 99 mph fastball -- had a stint with the L.A. Dodgers before playing with the Braves organization in 2018.

The Dodgers will pay tribute to the late Don Newcombe this season ... stitching a special No. 36 patch on their uniforms for all of 2019 -- the team announced Thursday.

The legendary pitcher -- one of the most important black athletes in MLB history -- died Tuesday at the age of 92 ... and the team says they plan to honor him on their jerseys.

Team president Stan Kasten says the patch will be on every uniform beginning on Opening Day next month ... with Newcombe becoming just the 7th Dodger player EVER to receive that honor.

Newcombe played 8 seasons for the Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers from 1949 to 1958 ... winning Rookie of the Year honors, the Cy Young AND the NL MVP during his career.

Athletes all across the globe were devastated to learn of his passing from an undisclosed illness ... and current Dodgers paid tribute to the man all over social media this week.

"I learned so much from this man," star closer Kenley Jansen said ... "Sitting together, knowing his stories, his storytelling, what he, Jackie and Roy Campanella had to go through for us to be here today."

"He taught me about the history of the game."

Flea HATES the Boston Celtics with the red, hot, fiery passion of 1,000 suns -- and when we saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers star at LAX ... HE WENT NUCLEAR on Beantown!!!

Oh, we should mention he's a die-hard Lakers fan ... if you couldn't tell by his throwback Magic Johnson shirt.

"I just think the Boston Celtics SUCK ASS," Flea proclaimed, "They're like the Satanic bottom of the basketball world! They are the shadow side."

It didn't stop there ... Flea reached way back into the rivalry to throw even more shade at the Celtics.

"Magic Johnson owned Larry Bird in college, owned him in the pros ... more championships, smoked him in college -- it's a simple fact."

We asked Flea if he'd like to see a Lakers vs. Celtics series in the NBA Finals -- and he went even HARDER!

"That would be thrilling. I'd like to see Lonzo dunk right on Jason Tatum's head!"

So, how do people in Boston feel about that? We got Mark Wahlberg out the other day, and he's already counting on the Celtics and the Boston Bruins to make it a clean 4-team championship sweep this year.

How do you make a 6'2", 240-pound man look SMALL?

Stand him next to Joel Embiid ... because that's exactly what happened when Yasiel Puig ran into the 76ers star in Beverly Hills and TMZ Sports cameras caught the whole thing.

Embiid was eating a meal at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills when we got Puig walking up to him to say hi. But, it was when Embiid stood up to take a picture that the size became an issue.

To be fair to Puig, Embiid is 7'0" tall, so it would basically take Yao Ming to make him look small -- but still, it's pretty funny when you see the two guys next to each other.

BTW ... Puig's car is ridiculous ... and he showed it to the cameras after he was done making a new friend ... it's a Dodger blue Lambo, which now that he's been traded to Cincy, makes us all sad.

The Dodgers DON'T need to make a splash and re-sign Manny Machado ... so says their ex-GM, Ned Colletti, who tells TMZ Sports the team already has enough talent!!

Ned -- who oversaw the Dodgers' baseball ops from 2006 through 2014 -- says with Corey Seager at shortstop and Justin Turner at third base -- Manny ain't necessary.

"It's not like the team is missing great players. They've got great players in the same spot."

Of course ... the new Dodgers' leadership seemed to try anyway -- they were reportedly in at least SOME talks with the superstar about a new deal earlier this offseason.

But, after L.A. signed outfielder A.J. Pollock to a monster $55 MILLION deal last week ... Manny seems destined for a new team -- perhaps even to the rival Padres.

BTW ... we also spoke with Seager about his elbow AND hip surgeries and if they're healed enough for him to be ready for Opening Day -- and he says he "hopes" so.

Walker Buehler got the best welcome-back-to-L.A. surprise at the airport Thursday ... he learned from our camera guy his Dodgers squad signed A.J. Pollock!!!

"We signed him today?! We signed him while I was on the plane?!"

The 24-year-old pitching phenom took the breaking news with a smile ... and said he was stoked to have yet another All-Star on the team.

"That's cool, man. He's a good player. That's cool, man. I'm excited!"

As for if Pollock is the missing piece the Dodgers need to finally get them a World Series ring ... ya gotta hear what Buehler has to say about that.

BTW ... Walker's been away from L.A. for the past couple months -- and says he's done nothing but relax with his girlfriend (who he introduced us to!) since the World Series.

But, pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 12 ... sooo, time to get back to work!!!

Don't need any more stress in your life heading into the holiday season??

Neither did we ... but thanks to Justin Turner -- we now have it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar attempted the Buzz Wire Challenge on Tuesday ... and the video of him going through it couldn't cause us more anxiety.

Turner's first attempt is pretty painless ... dude barely gets a few inches before he taps out.

But, his next attempt?? That's when the white knuckles start forming.

Turner goes through the electrical maze in a painstaking 40 seconds ... nearly tapping the wire MULTIPLE times as he got through the twists and turns.

J.T. finally made it to the end (of course he did, dude hits 100 MPH heaters with steady hands for a living) ... and we all exhaled with him as he celebrated.

Christian Yelich REALLY hated Manny Machado when the two played in the NLCS this fall ... but the MVP says he's willing to squash the beef under one condition.

IF MANNY SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS!!!

You'll remember ... Christian went off on Manny after the Dodgers star banged into Yelich's teammate at first base while running out a grounder in the October series ... callin' Manny "a dirty player."

"It's a dirty play by a dirty player," Yelich said at the time ... "That's what it is."

Fast forward to this week -- with the sweepstakes to land Manny in free agency at an all-time high -- and Christian was singin' a little bit of a different tune to TMZ Sports.

"Listen, emotions run high in those series, things happen," Yelich said at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in L.A.

"If we ended up crossing paths -- being on the same team again -- I'm sure we'd be able to work that out no problem."

Bad news for Yelich, Milwaukee and fans of beef-squashers?? Machado reportedly ain't interested in playin' for the Brew Crew.

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen says he's "fine" after undergoing heart surgery on Monday -- and even posted woozy post-procedure video from the hospital to prove it!

"Guys, I'm fine," Jansen said from his hospital bed alongside his wife, Gianni ... "The anesthesia is finally out of my system. I'm doing good. Enjoying the Christmas spirit. We'll see you guys soon in 2019, stronger than ever."

The 31-year-old was previously diagnosed with a condition that essentially put him at a higher risk for an irregular heartbeat at high altitudes ... not ideal when you fly all the time and play the Rockies in Colorado several times a year.

In fact, Jansen suffered an atrial fibrillation back in Denver in August after he was told he was at "high risk" for another medical incident.

So, on Monday he went under the knife for an "ablation procedure" to correct the condition -- and the surgery was a success. He should be ready to pitch again by Spring Training.

Joc Pederson is gonna have to rent scooters by the minute like the rest of us normies now ... 'cause the Dodgers star had his personal Bird jacked -- TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us the outfielder had his electric wheels stolen outta his car recently near his San Fernando Valley home.

We're told Joc woke up and saw his car's window smashed out and his scooter taken ... and he reported the crime to the LAPD.

Sources say no arrests have been made ... but cops are investigating the whole thing.

The Bird is only valued at around $500 -- and Joc just made $2.6 MILLION this year -- but we're told the wheels were a gift from the company, so there's some sentimental value there.

We reached out to Joc for comment -- but no word back yet.

The wife of L.A. Dodgers star Justin Turner claims her beloved miniature pinscher was savagely murdered by a neighbor's German shepherd ... and now she's suing the guy for letting it happen.

Kourtney Turner -- aka Kourtney Pogue -- claims her pet, Dior, was chillin' at her L.A. home on Nov. 7, 2016, when a "vicious and aggressive" dog named Sonny got onto the property and attacked.

Kourtney claims the dog's owner knew Sonny got violent with other dogs -- and when he went after Dior, the man did nothing to stop it.

In the lawsuit, Kourtney claims she was too paralyzed by fear to jump in and save her 11-year-old pet ... and by the time the mauling was over, Dior had suffered fatal injuries.

Kourtney is not only suing for vet bills and other costs associated with Dior's death -- she also wants damages for pain and suffering, claiming she "relied upon the emotional support of Dior for her well-being."

After Dior passed away, Kourtney posted an emotional tribute to her friend ... saying, "Eleven years wasn't long enough, and to be honest, forever wouldn't have been either."

She added, "You taught me unconditional love & we will never ever forget you."

Kourtney now has a new dog, Moonshine -- who was born 1 month after Dior's passing.

Here it is ... this is what Justin Turner's face looks like without his glorious red beard.

Drink it in.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star was grubbin' with his wife Kourtney Turner at Vivian’s Millennium Cafe in Studio City on Friday afternoon (that place is delicious, BTW) ... and he was basically unrecognizable.

It's kinda weird, right?

Of course, the Dodgers are still reeling from that World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox ... and maybe JT felt like it was time to change things up a bit.

Turner had toyed with the idea of losing his face-warmer last year -- but only if the Dodgers won the World Series. They didn't, so he didn't.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are already putting the pieces together to try and make another run in 2019 -- resigning Clayton Kershaw to a 3-year $93 million contract.

Plus, L.A. also resigned David Freese -- and they're working on deals with pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and Yasmani Grandal.

So ... how long will it take for Turner to grow his beard back?

NAKED CANNONBALLLLLLL!!!!

It was MADNESS in the Boston Red Sox locker room after the World Series on Sunday night -- with the team dousing manager Alex Cora in beer ... and Rick Porcello shedding all his clothes to jump buck nekkid in the beer tub!!

There was country music. There were cigars. Everyone popped bottles of Beau Joie champagne. It was awesome.

Unless you're a Dodgers fan.

But, even Los Angelinos had to appreciate the turnup -- Brock Holt showed off his country music singing skills. Mitch Moreland threw Alex Cora into a beer bucket (where he was doused in beer by the entire team).

Mookie Betts showed off his fancy championship champagne bottle.

The culmination was the crazy dance party to "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre.

The Red Sox beat the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 at Dodgers Stadium. Next, it's back to Beantown where the Sox will get their victory parade.

Start stocking up the beer ...

Danny Trejo was amped-up big time after biting his nails for 7 hours, Friday night at Dodgers Stadium.

We got the "Machete" star as he was leaving the Stadium, and the way Danny sees it ... he got 2 games for the price of 1.

It took the Dodgers 18 innings, but Max Muncy showed everyone what's up and the crowd went nuts. The Sox now lead by 2 -1 with another game tonight in L.A.