What’s up with the A’s Puk?
PEORIA, ARIZ. >> The A’s traveled to Peoria to face the Seattle Mariners, an American League West rival. But the A’s bus wasn’t carrying too many regulars and the Mariners sent out a majority of their A squad to face Daulton Jefferies. A rolled inning and costly error led to a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon. It happened to be the Mariners’ fourth tie in six games — the A’s first of spring. Here are some takeaways.
A.J. PUK UPDATE: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS >> Puk threw an inning at the A’s complex in Mesa on Friday and all signs indicate he had no trouble bouncing back Saturday morning. Manager Bob Melvin said Puk’s name wasn’t on the trainer’s list Saturday morning, at least.
This will be a pivotal spring for Puk, who is 25 and still vying for a starting role and regular time with the big league squad after battling injuries throughout most of his career with Oakland. Can the A’s top prospect start to find solid ground? He’s not running out of time, per se, but the A’s would
like to see someone with that skill set fulfill his potential.
Puk had surgery on his throwing shoulder in September, and Melvin said reports Friday indicated he looked easy and breezy pitching against his teammates. Confidence has been key for Puk, who’s looked more at east throughout
camp this season than in years past, according to Melvin.
J.B. WENDELKEN MAKES SPRING DEBUT >> Wendelken made his first Cactus League appearance this spring, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout to Evan White. He reached 94 mph on his fastball, looking like his typical self.
This spring, though, Wendelken didn’t enter the game eager to impress enough to earn a spot. He had a stellar 2020 campaign, posting a 1.50 ERA in 25 innings. Melvin wasn’t afraid to use him in almost a Yusmeiro Petitlike role, meaning he was good to go in any-leverage situation.