Puk put on an impressive showing during his first throwing session of camp Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "He looked great. I think surgery really did a lot for him," manager Bob Melvin said. "There were times last year that you'd watch him and you could tell he was kind of feeling a little something and guarding his shoulder. That was not the case today at all. The ball had a lot of life, and he looked really good."
The glowing report from Melvin is obviously music to the ears of many holding Puk in keeper and dynasty formats, a practice that's often proven frustrating over the last couple of seasons due to the left-hander's assortment of injuries. Puk was slated for a rotation spot last season before shoulder issues derailed those plans, but the Athletics are planning to build him up as a starter in spring training with an eye on deploying him in some sort of multi-inning capacity to open the season. Whether that immediately equates to a rotation spot remains to be seen, however, as there is also the option of having Puk initially operate in a long-relief role that he performed well in during his first taste of big-league action in 2019. "We're still kind of figuring out what we're going to do with A.J.," Melvin said. "Whether or not we use him out of the bullpen or in a starting role, we're not sure yet. But you can't have enough depth as far as the starters go, and if someone like A.J. isn't ready to start, then he's a good fit for the bullpen."