Puk looks sharp in first spring start as he tries to join starting rotation
PORT ST. LUCIE
Marlins left-hander
A.J. Puk’s attempt to move into a role as a major-league starting pitcher has begun.
His first impression was a good one.
Puk threw two shutout innings Tuesday in the Marlins’ 7-1 spring training loss to the New York Mets at Clover Park, with his only blemish being a one-out walk to Francisco Alvarez in the first inning.
Puk struck out three of seven batters he faced —
Tyrone Taylor swinging on a splitter, Luke Voit swinging on a sweeper and Ben Gamel looking on a sweeper.
“Felt great,” Puk said. “I was excited to go out there and start again. I just want to go out there, get in the strike zone with all my pitches and work on the pitches I’ve worked on this offseason.”
All of Puk’s majorleague experience over four seasons has been as a reliever.
He began last season, his first in Miami after being acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, as the Marlins’ closer before moving back to a set-up role after the AllStar Break.
But after being a starter in college and the early stages of his pro career, Puk, 28, has yearned for the opportunity to return to a starting role.
Miami is giving him that chance. Right now, only two spots in the rotation appear to be locks: left-hander Jesus Luzardo and right-hander Eury Perez.
Braxton Garrett might not be ready for Opening Day as he deals with shoulder soreness. Puk, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, Ryan Weathers and Max Meyer are among the leading candidates to round out the rotation.
“The opportunity’s there for him, just like a lot of other guys,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It’s gonna be a battle for those last couple spots, and he’s in the mix.”
As a reliever, Puk almost exclusively threw a four-seam fastball and sweeper.
As he tries to transition to a starting role, he has added a splitter, cutter and two-seam fastball.
GRAY IMPRESSING
The Marlins have hit just two home runs through their first four spring training games.
Both have been hit by the same player: Tristan Gray, a non-roster invitee who could serve as valuable infield depth if he doesn’t crack the Opening Day roster.
His first homer was a 355-foot line drive to right field Saturday against St. Louis’ Michael McGreevy (the Cardinals’ No. 14 prospect, according to Baseball America). The second was a 415-foot shot to straightaway center field Tuesday against the Mets’ Jorge Lopez, who has 230 career MLB appearances and was an All-Star in 2022.
Gray is a career .236 hitter in the minor leagues with a .761 onbase-plus-slugging mark. He has hit 108 career home runs in the minors, with 63 of those in the past two seasons with Tampa Bay’s Triple A affiliate, the Durham Bulls. Defensively, he has experience playing all four infield spots.
TIM ANDERSON WORKING HIS WAY IN
Shortstop Tim Anderson participated in live batting practice on the back fields in Jupiter on Tuesday, facing nonroster invitee Vladimir Gutierrez.
Schumaker said the plan is to get Anderson into spring games once he is ready.
Anderson, who spent eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox, is coming off his worst season, hitting .245 with one homer and 25 RBI.