It's Hard Not to Overreact to A.J. Puk's First Rehab Game

There always tends to lie an exceptional difficulty in evaluating the return of injured pitchers, particularly following a major procedure such as Tommy John surgery. But Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander A.J. Puk is making it even more difficult to prevent overreactions.

Puk, one of the three big-name Diamondbacks hurlers who needed elbow surgery in 2025 (including Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez), was always the one most likely to return first. Since he underwent the internal brace procedure, and not the more traditional Tommy John surgery, his recovery was slightly truncated from the start.

But Puk has already gotten back on the mound, and appears to be getting ever-closer to an MLB return. His first rehab appearance since going down with the injury occurred on Saturday in the Arizona Complex League — and his results were exceptional.

Diamondbacks' A.J. Puk pitches dominant first rehab game

Apr 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera (11) and pitcher A.J. Puk (33) celebrate a win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Puk only ended up throwing 10 pitches in the outing, and that was all he needed to retire the side in order. He did not allow a baserunner, and even picked up a strikeout.

Now, granted, this is a high-level major league reliever facing rookie ball players. Which is why it was so important for Puk to look just like that: a pitcher throwing at a level well below his capabilities. That's certainly what it looked like.

Puk's velocity, however, is not quite where it was when he was healthy. According to reports, he sat around 93-94 MPH on his fastball. That's certainly not exceptionally poor, by any means, but Puk did sit between 96-97 in 2025 before going down with the injury. He's been known as a power arm in his career, and that's been a decent contributing factor to his success on the mound.

A.J. Puk threw a scoreless inning in the complex league today, his first official outing post-surgery. Retired all three batters he faced on 10 pitches. Was told his fastball was 93-94 mph.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) May 24, 2026

Fastball velocity is something that can continue to be built up with time and further appearances, of course.

Considering Puk is beginning his rehab in the Arizona Complex League, there's a high likelihood he'll have to get into quite a few games before eventually making his return to the major league roster. He's likely to get into multiple games at an affiliate level, as well. It's all part of the process.

Still, Puk's overall effectiveness in his very first appearance in a real-game situation (not counting live BP sessions) is certainly a good sign that his recovery is on track. The big left-hander is officially eligible to come off the 60-day IL as of Friday, May 22, but he'll need plenty more rehab action before that is official.

It remains to be seen just how effective Puk will be at the highest level, coming off surgery. But an effective high-leverage left-hander is a premium asset, and the Diamondbacks' bullpen certainly could always use such an arm. Puk threw to a 3.38 ERA with four saves in his eight pre-surgery appearances in 2025.

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