A’s Puk ‘free and easy’ in pitching
MESA, Ariz. — A.J. Puk lived with Jesús Luzardo in Florida over the offseason and attended a few family dinners with his fellow A’s lefthander, whose family is Venezuelan.
“Arepas are definitely my favorite food now,” Puk said Friday.
Another highlight for Puk, who had shoulder surgery last September, occurred during one of his throwing sessions.
“Probably about halfway through my rehab and playing catch progression this offseason I just completely forgot that I had shoulder surgery,” Puk said. “I would just come to the field every day and play catch like nothing ever happened.”
Puk, the A’s 2016 firstround pick, did not pitch in 2020 due to recurring shoulder issues. His surgery involved a “cleanup” but no structural repairs. Manager Bob Melvin has said Puk
looks “free and easy” while throwing at spring training. Puk has yet to face hitters in live batting practice but has thrown several bullpen sessions.
“Previously, the past year and a half I was a little hesitant coming in just knowing that it’s going to take a while for (the shoulder) to feel good,” Puk said on a video call Friday. “Now it’s just ready to go.”
Injuries have stalled Puk’s progress the past three years. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and debuted briefly with the A’s as a reliever in 2019, striking out 13 in 111⁄3 innings. Still, Puk has totaled just 362⁄3 innings in major and minorleague games since the end of the 2017 season.
That complicates projecting a role for him this season. Puk is preparing as a starter in camp but Melvin said the A’s have yet to decide if he would start or relieve. Puk said he wants to start while acknowledging: “It all comes back to my health.”
Puk trained at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida this winter and said a focus was learning to harness the movement of his 6foot7 frame and be “hypermobile. I’ve got good ranges of motion and I just had to learn how to control my body in those ranges and create more stability, which will lead to more success for staying on the field.”
Puk’s height, velocity from the left side and formerly long hair — since cut — elicited some early mentions of Randy Johnson. He remains a highly regarded prospect — Baseball America ranked Puk, now 25, as the A’s top prospect entering this season.
“If you ask any player they probably all wish that at some point in their career they didn’t get injured,” Puk said. “You’re going to get injured. It’s just all how you bounce back from it. So, I just take it on the chin and just keep pushing forward and just keep rolling.”
Luzardo, who was drafted by the Nationals 88 spots after Puk went sixth overall to the A’s, said the two became close while both rehabbed injuries in 2019.
“I was lucky enough to see him work out and rehab his shoulder this offseason, see all the work that he put in,” Luzardo said. “He’s a grinder and he has that dog in him, I think, to be a breakout candidate and open a lot of people’s eyes. He worked really hard and I’m excited for him.”