A’s option Puk to Triple-a Las Vegas; call up Romero

The A’s optioned A.J. Puk to Triple-a Las Vegas on Wednesday, returning the left-hander to the minors after several rough relief outings in recent weeks. Right-hander Miguel Romero was called up from Las Vegas to join the major-league roster.

Puk’s latest call-up began with promise. The hard-throwing lefty, working from a lower arm slot, threw scoreless innings in each of his first four appearances after joining Oakland on Aug. 10. In his last seven games, though, Puk allowed nine runs and 16 hits over six innings, with three scoreless outings.

On Tuesday, Puk entered the fifth inning of a tied game against the White Sox and faced six batters, five of whom singled. Manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that the A’s, who drafted Puk in the first round in 2016, are looking for consistency from Puk.

“It did click early,” Melvin said. “And then the last three or four (outings), not so much. So whether it’s other teams scouting him a little bit more so and what he’s trying to do — you saw everybody kind of take the ball the other way yesterday, looking for fastballs, not trying to pull him.

“This game’s always about adjustments. And he’s got a big arm. He’s going to be back here at some point in time. It’s just, I think, getting confident in what he’s doing and getting off to a little bit more consistency as opposed to a couple of good outings and then a couple of bad ones.”

Puk’s major-league experience still comprises just 22 outings. Injuries cost him the 2018 and 2020 seasons. He made one appearance for the A’s in April before being sidelined by a biceps strain.

Romero, 27, pitched his past five games at TripleA as a starter. Melvin said Romero offers an option in long relief but likely would not be available Wednesday as he threw six innings in a start Sunday.

Romero had a 6.40 ERA in 26 games, 13 starts, at Las Vegas. The right-hander, signed by the A’s out of Cuba in 2017, is poised to make his major-league debut. He owns a 4.83 ERA with 243 strikeouts over 235 innings in the minors.

“At the beginning of this season, I didn't feel too good to start, started off a little rough, but just kind of kept working at my game, and recently I've just felt really comfortable on the mound,” Romero said via an interpreter Wednesday at the Coliseum.

Romero said the Triple-a Aviators were still in Sugar Land, Texas, preparing to return to Las Vegas when he learned he was being called up. He said one of his bags went to Oakland and the other to Las Vegas.

“They called me and said, `Hey, you're getting called up to the big leagues,'” Romero said. “I didn't really believe it at first, but he told me and I really got it.”