Puk (shoulder) is progressing well from surgery and projects to break camp in Oakland's rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
He will be the Oakland's fifth starter if he stays healthy while getting stretched out this spring. Granted, the A's have been overly optimistic with their public comments about Puk's health and availability in the past, only for things to go south, so we should not take it for granted that he will be healthy this spring and into the regular season. There hasn't been much clarity regarding the nature of the shoulder procedure he underwent in September. Even in a best-case scenario, the 25-year-old lefty won't log close to a full season in the MLB rotation, as he has thrown a total of 36.2 innings since needing Tommy John surgery in 2018.