8:32pm: Minor league outfielder Andrew Pintar is the opposite participant headed to the Marlins, reviews Ari Alexander of KPRC-2 (X hyperlink).
8:29pm: Infield prospect Deyvison De Los Santos is among the many prospects headed again to Miami, reviews Craig Mish of SportsGrid (on X).
8:27pm: The Diamondbacks are buying reliever A.J. Puk from the Marlins, reviews Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (X hyperlink).
It’s the second consecutive season through which Arizona makes a serious addition to the late innings. The Snakes introduced in Paul Sewald to lock down the ninth inning a yr in the past. Sewald continues to be holding down the nearer position regardless of a tough stretch this month. Puk provides a high-octane southpaw to the setup group.
A former sixth general decide by the Athletics, Puk broke by way of as a high-leverage reliever in 2022. Oakland dealt him to Miami for outfielder JJ Bleday in a swap of former high draft picks the next offseason. Puk fired 56 2/3 frames of three.97 ERA ball with glorious strikeout and stroll numbers throughout his first season in South Florida. He held the nearer position for a stretch, choosing up 15 saves and ending 31 video games altogether.
Miami might have been content material to go away Puk in a late-innings position. First-year president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and his entrance workplace have been interested in the opportunity of stretching Puk again into the rotation position he’d occupied in school and through the early a part of his minor league profession. Whereas the Spring Coaching outcomes have been promising, the beginning pitching experiment proved a short-lived blunder.
The 6’7″ Puk opened the season in Miami’s rotation. He took the ball 4 occasions and didn’t as soon as make it by way of the fifth inning. Opponents teed off for 17 runs in Puk’s 13 2/3 innings as a starter. He walked 17 and hit a batter whereas recording simply 12 strikeouts. The Marlins positioned him on the injured on April 20, citing shoulder fatigue.
After they reinstated him just a few weeks later, Miami deserted the rotation maneuver and kicked Puk again into his customary brief reduction position. The outcomes since then have been distinctive. The College of Florida product has turned in a 2.08 ERA over 30 1/3 innings out of the ’pen. He has punched out 33 of 114 batters confronted whereas strolling solely six. Opponents are hitting .159/.204/.252 in that point. Puk has held seven leads in entrance of All-Star nearer Tanner Scott (who’s principally a lock to maneuver earlier than subsequent Tuesday’s deadline himself).
Extra to come back.
