D-backs Reliever's 2025 Was a Sign of the Struggles to Come

It all began here.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander A.J. Puk (33) reacts after closing out their 10-6 win against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday, March 30, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 season stands out in (recent) Arizona Diamondbacks history as one of the tougher watches. Desite coming into the year with massive, yet realistic expectations of contention, the D-backs fell to an 80-82 record and missed the postseason.

Of course, the struggles can be heavily attributed to the high volume of pitching injuries sustained by Arizona — or, more specifically, the number of high-performing arms that went down.

In particular, Arizona's bullpen felt the sting of injuries. All three of the D-backs' closer options were forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery at some point in 2025. It all began with southpaw A.J. Puk.

As Arizona Diamondbacks On SI continues to break down the individual seasons of every player that contributed to the 2025 D-backs roster, the below article will be updated with the proper links to every season review as they are published.

Related Content: Breaking Down Every Diamondbacks Player's 2025 Season

Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 Player Review: A.J. Puk

A.J. Puk 2025 and career statistics | Alex D'Agostino

After joining the D-backs at the 2024 Trade Deadline, Puk immediately became one of the most valuable leverage arms in Arizona's bullpen. Ahead of 2025, Puk was given the co-closer alongside righty flamethrower Justin Martinez.

And for a small first portion of the season, it was going well for Puk. He converted all four of his save opportunities and picked up two holds, and had 12 punchouts against only two walks in his first eight innings.

And then, he went down on the IL on April 19 with left elbow inflammation — later diagnosed as a flexor tendon strain. At the time, it seemed as if this would not be a season-ending injury. Puk even began a throwing program in late May.

Unfortunately, the left-hander would ultimately be shut down from that throwing program in mid-June, and would require Tommy John Surgery before having a chance to make his return.

The D-backs felt that loss quite harshly. Puk's absence was the first of the three Tommy John Surgeries to D-backs closers, with Martinez and Shelby Miller following.

A.J. Puk: 2026 Outlook

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander A.J. Puk (33) pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday, March 30, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Puk did not have full Tommy John Surgery, but rather underwent the internal brace procedure. That means his timeline for return may be slightly shorter than the alternative procedure, though he'll still likely miss the majority of 2026.

As of now, there is no concrete timeline for Puk's return. He is, however, a free agent after 2026. There may be a bit of a dilemma present to the D-backs' front office in terms of a potential re-signing, especially if Puk is unable to get much of a real-game sample size following his rehab.

As of now, the D-backs do not have true (healthy) closer option on their roster. Significant additions have yet to be made to the major league bullpen, with both Puk and Martinez set to miss large portions of time.