A.J. Puk's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk has been scratched from his scheduled start on Monday against the visiting San Francisco Giants due to an illness while Edward Cabrera (shoulder) will be activated from the injured list and will start in Puk's place on Monday. Puk's next start has been pushed back to Wednesday. It hasn't been a great start to Puk's season after winning a rotation job coming out of spring training as he sports a 5.91 ERA through three starts and just 10 2/3 innings of work. More concerning is his eye-popping 14 walks in those 10 2/3 frames with just eight strikeouts in that time. As for Cabrera, he has also struggled with control in his Triple-A rehab as he walked 14.8% of the hitters he faced in three starts, although he was able to escape with a 0.71 ERA.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk will look to begin his new career as a starter on the right note when he takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Vast injuries to the Miami rotation opened the door for Puk to at least begin the season as a starter and he took major advantage of the opportunity in Grapefruit League action. The former A's top prospect posted a tidy 1.32 ERA with a whopping 23 strikeouts against four walks across 13 2/3 innings of work this spring, all as a starter. This is Puk's first career start and it comes in a nice matchup against a Pirates team that tied for 24th with a .307 wOBA and finished 23rd with a 24.1% K% against left-handed pitching last season.

Miami Marlins pitcher A.J. Puk has been nearly unhittable early in camp. The left-hander is attempting to move into the starting rotation full-time. So far, the southpaw has lived up to the hype with another solid outing on Saturday. Puk piled up six strikeouts over 3 1/3 scoreless innings versus the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Puk has now fired 8 1/3 scoreless innings with a 15/4 K/BB ratio and a 1.20 WHIP this spring. The 28-year-old will continue climbing up draft boards if he keeps pitching like this going forward.

With Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) now likely to open the year on the injured list due to a shoulder issue, it would appear that left-hander A.J. Puk is now the heavy favorite to open the regular season as the team's No. 3 starter. The 28-year-old southpaw has been transitioning from a relief role to a starting role this spring and has had great results, tossing five scoreless Grapefruit League innings while striking out nine and walking three. Puk's fantasy value will probably be limited because of the fact that he hasn't started a game since 2021 or pitched in a starting role full time since 2017, but he'll be intriguing to begin the year nonetheless. He had a career-high 15 saves in 2023 but also lost the closing role midway through the season due to poor performance. Puk's strikeout upside alone makes him interesting in either a starting or relief role for Miami.

Miami Marlins pitcher A.J. Puk is being stretched out as a starter as spring training gets underway. The lanky reliever has only worked out of the bullpen in the majors but was primarily a starter back in his college days at the University of Florida. He's yet to make a single start through his first 142 major league outings, according to beat writer Christina De Nicola. However, the Marlins currently have an open rotation spot and with Puk's past experience as a starter, this makes sense. In addition to Puk, Miami is also stretching out Ryan Weathers, George Soriano, and Max Meyer. Injuries have plagued Puk in the early part of his career but he's maintained relative health over the last few seasons, compiling a 3.50 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, and 154:36 K/BB ratio to go along with 19 saves over 123 innings of relief between Oakland and Miami. He's an interesting name to keep an eye on considering his past prospect pedigree. There's no guarantee he opens the year in the starting rotation but he should hold fantasy value whether he starts or comes out of the pen for the Fish.