A’s phenom A.J. Puk will start the 2020 MLB season on the injured list. The 25-year old left-hander is dealing with a shoulder strain that cropped up in his last simulated game, manager Bob Melvin said Monday afternoon, a setback that will put Daniel Mengden into the rotation’s No. 5 slot.
Puk is in Los Angeles getting his shoulder checked out by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The A’s will have a better grasp of how much time Puk will miss with his latest shoulder ailment once the exam is complete. There is no timetable for his return at this point.
Melvin said this shoulder strain is similar to what he dealt with during spring training that would’ve prevented him from starting the season as previously scheduled, though he healed up during the months after baseball shut down during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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SIGN UP HERE Puk last spoke to the media on July 10, and was thrilled to be pitching without impediment, fully healthy and distancing himself from Tommy John surgery back in April 2018. Puk said he changed his mechanics, eliminating the occasional pinch in his shoulder.
The shoulder strain, not uncommon for those coming off Tommy John surgery, still is a setback the A’s didn’t want.
“It’s frustrating for him because he went through this in the spring,” Melvin said. “We thought the period of time off would benefit him. It did up until a point, and then throwing in the [simulated] game the other day he felt it to the point that we cut off his third inning and we’re in the position we’re in right now.”
The Puk injury marks the second significant setback to a talented, young pitcher during training camp. Jesús Luzardo tested positive for coronavirus during intake testing and missed roughly two weeks in quarantine.
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He was cleared to return on Friday, without enough time to ramp up and join the rotation. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice before Monday’s exhibition against the Giants but will start the season in the bullpen while stretching out during the season. Chris Bassitt will start in his place.
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While the A’s ultimately are in wait-and-see mode while Puk gets evaluated, it’s a bad sign that the shoulder issue has cropped up a second time since the spring.
“The fact we have to put him on the [IL] suggests a level of concern,” Melvin said. “We want to make sure we get this right before we throw him back out there again.”