A.J. Puk's Throwing Program Shut Down, to Seek Surgeon's Opinion

Just hours after confirming Justin Martinez would need surgery, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo delivered more bad news about A.J. Puk.

Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher A.J. Puk (33) looks on during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Justin Martinez Surgery

Earlier today news broke that Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Justin Martinez would need to have surgery on his right elbow, and miss more than a year. Lovullo said on radio it would be Tommy John Surgery, but then during his afternoon press conference at Chase Field he thought it might be an Internal Brace procedure, and would need to double check.

A.J. Puk Shut Down, to Seek Second Opinion

Lovullo dropped another injury setback bomb. Reliever A.J. Puk, on the injured list since April 18 with a flexor tendon strain, needs to stop his throwing program, and will travel to Los Angeles to see Dr. Neal ElAttrache. That is the same surgeon that just performed Tommy John Surgery on Corbin Burnes on Wednesday.

Lovullo said that Puk spoke up about "nursing some little bumps and bruises, some slight discomfort", but wanted to continue to throw through it. Said Lovullo, "It got to the point where he was a little curious about it and wanted to see [Dr. ElAttrache], so he's going to see him in person as well, just like Corbin did."

While it's impossible to speculate what is going to be the result of that consultation, this setback clearly means that Puk won't be back before the All-Star break, if at all.

Frustrations Mount Over Injuries

Lovullo vented some of his frustrations with all of the injuries.

"I'm over it. I'm definitely over it. We've got to exercise a lot of caution with usage of guys. We've got to follow the protocols and the belief system that we have here with our medical team and really reinforce the thought that it's extremely important that these athletes have a breaking point, and we can't get close to that."

Related Content: Who Manages Diamondbacks Player Load and Return-to-Play Protocols?

Shelby Miller Confirmed as Closer

To the surprise of no one, Lovullo said that Shelby Miller would get closing duties in the ninth inning. "I'm going to lean on him for that very back end. I like to build it backwards from there," Lovullo said.

Miller is a different person and different pitcher since his first stop with the team. "He's grown up from the last time that I saw him. He's so mature and nothing bothers him. He just shakes things off" Lovullo said.

Lovullo described Miller's repertoire that has allowed him to post a 1.63 with seven saves in 27 innings thus far in 2025

"It's an aggressive fastball, upper to mid 90s. He throws it where he wants. I think the split for me is a really big pitch for him because he can get lefties out as easily as righties, and he's got a real good slider that he's continuing to develop."

Lovullo credited pitching coach Brian Kaplan with helping Miller develop the slider and helping make him so effective. "That's [Kaplan's] specialty. Pitch shaping is his baby, and he's been able to work really good with Shelby to figure out how to throw that slider to both lefties and righties. He's got three legitimate pitches, and that's the real reason."

For more on what Miller had to say about his role and success this year, be sure to also see the article linked below.

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