Athletics Shut Down A.J. Puk Again, Top Prospect's Chances of Pitching in 2020 Slim

A recurrence of left shoulder pain has led the Oakland Athletics to shut down former No. 1 draft pick A.J. Puk with three weeks left in the regular season. He's likely to see a doctor in the next day or two and is unlikely to pitch in Oakland this season.

It seems as if the A’s will have to do with left-handed starting pitcher A.J. Puk for the 2020 season.

Puk, for the second day in a row, had his throwing session pushed back on Monday. The hope had been that doing that would get him back on the A’s roster this week. But his left shoulder discomfort is back, he’s likely to see an orthopedic specialist in the coming days, and he’s been shut down.

With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, his chances of pitching in 2020 are slim.

“He didn’t throw yesterday and didn’t feel good enough to throw today,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “Not even to play catch. So, it looks like we’re shutting him down in the interim.

“It’s the shoulder again, it’s got a little soreness in there. I don’t know how severe. He’s probably going to have to see a doctor here in the next day or so.”

Puk was scratched from the roster before the season began on July 24 with what was diagnosed as a mild shoulder strain. He saw shoulder specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles then, and that led to Puk getting in a shot of cortisone in his left shoulder.

On Aug. 15 he began to throw again as the A’s hoped to build up the former No. 1 draft pick to the point he might be able to throw multiple innings or appear in back to back games, all in relief. Early in August they decided there wasn’t going to be enough time to build him up to be a starter, although that’s the role they see for him down the line.

Puk, two years removed from Tommy John surgery, came out of the almost four-month baseball shutdown optimistic that his would be his year to break through. He said his arm felt better than ever and that “I was able to clean up my mechanics. It was just a long grind coming back from Tommy John and ramping it back up.”

And now it appears that the ramping up isn’t over.

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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