Column: Yasiel Puig’s career hasn’t shaped up so it is probably time for the Dodgers to ship him out

Are these Yasiel Puig’s final days with the Dodgers?

Yes, I know, you’ve read this before.

You read it last summer. You read it again over the winter.

Only this time, it feels different. This time, with Monday’s nonwaiver trade deadline approaching, the Dodgers are in serious pursuit of Jay Bruce, the All-Star outfielder from the Cincinnati Reds.

The question no longer seems to be if Dodgers want to trade Puig. It’s if they can.

The message is clear: The Dodgers are searching for an upgrade in right field.

And you know what? They should.

Project Puig has run its course. Whether it’s because of his inability to adjust to how pitchers attack him, his inconsistent focus or a body that has grown increasingly vulnerable to muscle strains, he has never become the offensive force the Dodgers envisioned.

Maybe there’s some other team that will be seduced by Puig’s upside, as the Dodgers used to be. Maybe the Dodgers can send him to the Reds as part of the package for Bruce. Maybe they land Bruce and send Puig somewhere else.

Whatever they do, they should extract whatever value they can from the 25-year-old former All-Star. If they can trade him, they should. They have run out of reasons not to.

When Andrew Friedman became the team’s president of baseball operations before the 2015 season, ownership wanted to retain Puig because of his marketing appeal. That appeal has eroded because of his underwhelming on-field performance.

The Dodgers didn’t want to trade him last summer because his value was at an all-time low. That value continued to diminish, so much so that the Dodgers were again reluctant to move him over the winter.

With Puig unable to fetch much of a return on the trade market, the Dodgers figured they might as well hold onto him and hope for his resurgence. That hasn’t happened.

Puig’s value is lower now than it’s ever been. If the Dodgers keep him, it could drop even more. Why wait any longer?

Puig looked oblivious Friday to the storm of speculation that was engulfing him.

He was out of the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game because of a tight right hamstring, but still participated in batting practice.

He posed for photographs with Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife. He embraced coach Manny Mota.

But he wouldn’t take a moment to speak about his uncertain future.

“We’re going to work, we’re going to work,� he said in Spanish, walking briskly across the Dodgers dugout and disappearing into the clubhouse.

Walter later said he didn’t know of any plans to trade Puig. Then again, Walter is the same person who thought the Dodgers-owned cable station would have wide distribution by now.

Walter mentioned Puig’s potential — the same potential that teased the Dodgers into thinking they didn’t have to upgrade their lineup last off-season. The Dodgers’ interest in the likes of Bruce and Josh Reddick of the Oakland Athletics speaks volumes about what they now think of their plan to count on a bounce-back season for Puig.

There’s no question Bruce would be an offensive upgrade. He is on pace for a 40-home run season. He leads the National League in runs batted in. He also wouldn’t be a two-month rental, as his contract includes a club-friendly $13-million team option for next season.

It’s really a shame it’s come to this.

Puig was once the most electrifying player to call Dodger Stadium home since a juiced-up Manny Ramirez, his breathtaking throws and colossal home runs as a rookie in 2013 convincing the city he was destined to become the face of the franchise.

He had a spectacular first half the following year that vaulted him to his first and only All-Star appearance. But he hasn’t been the same since.

Injuries limited him to 79 games last year. He has already made one trip to the disabled list this year.

Over his last 162 games, Puig is batting .255 with 19 home runs and 73 runs batted in.

This season offered the promise of a new start.

The former clubhouse nuisance reported to spring training as a toned-down version of himself, showing more respect to his teammates and appearing less concerned about making himself the center of attention. He lost weight and was praised by teammates for his renewed focus. Don Mattingly, the manager with whom he often clashed over the previous three seasons, was with the Miami Marlins and replaced by the constantly smiling Dave Roberts.

While that translated into some Gold Glove-caliber defense when the regular season started, it failed to produce significant results at the plate.

His numbers are shockingly pedestrian: .254 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs in 80 games. Roberts called on him to pinch-hit with two on and one out in the seventh inning of a game that was tied, 7-7, and he flied out to center field.

The Dodgers need more from their right fielder. If they can, they should move on. It’s what’s best for them. And it could be what’s best for Puig, too.

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Twitter: @dylanohernandez