Puk will start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals and is expected to throw 45-50 pitches, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
This confirms a Monday report that indicated matters were trending in this direction for Puk, whose velocity and breaking ball both stood out in a Saturday sim game. The urgency to get the big left-hander stretched out has gone up a notch, considering he's the leading candidate to take Mike Fiers' (hip) place in the starting rotation to open the season if the veteran is sidelined as expected.