Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk delivered his fourth save of the season when his team defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He went one inning, striking out and walking one without allowing a hit or a run to secure the 3-2 victory. Puk is the only Marlin with multiple saves, and each of his last three appearances has been in a save situation. The 27-year-old is running a 1.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with nine punchouts and two walks across nine innings. Before the season, it wasn't clear who would be the closer in Miami, but it's safe to say that Puk has secured that role for himself.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher A.J. Puk picked up his second save of the season in Monday's 4-3 win over the Giants. Puk came in to close things out up by a run in the top of the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single, got the first out on a sacrifice bunt which advanced the runner to second, got the second out on a grounder which advanced the runner to third, but left the tying run stranded after inducing a flyout to end the game. The 27-year-old was once a fantasy prospect before dealing with a number of injuries, but it looks like he may have found a spot at the back of the Marlins' bullpen. He has been their best late-inning reliever by far, converting both save opportunities with a 1.29 ERA and a 7.71 K/9 rate. While the Marlins may not get a ton of save opportunities, it appears that Puk is the arm to roster for fantasy managers at this time.

Miami Marlins left-handed reliever A.J. Puk picked up his first save of the season in Friday's 2-1 win over the division-rival New York Mets. Dylan Floro worked a scoreless eighth inning for the hold, and manager Skip Schumaker decided to call on Puk for the save in a 2-0 ballgame in the ninth inning. The 27-year-old southpaw allowed a solo home run while walking none and striking out two to help the team hold on for the win. Puk is certainly worth a pickup for those searching for saves, but this could be a closer-by-committee situation in Miami between Puk, Floro and Tanner Scott. It could easily be one of Floro or Scott that gets the nod in the team's next save situation.

Miami Marlins relief pitchers Tanner Scott, Dylan Floro and A.J. Puk are "in the mix" for closing situations this year, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Floro is expected to be the favorite for saves in Miami after picking up 25 saves for the team over the last two seasons. Scott and Puk are left-handers, and Scott had a career-high 20 saves for the Fish in 2022. Both southpaws have intriguing strikeout upside and are worth speculating on for saves/holds in the back of Miami's bullpen in deeper fantasy leagues. This will probably be a frustrating situation to follow in fantasy, especially with Schumaker being a first-time manager at the big-league level in 2023. Puk was dominant in spring training but has the least closing experience of the trio.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk (groin) threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday morning in camp, and the next step is for him to make his Grapefruit League debut on Friday as long as he checks out fine. The 27-year-old southpaw is taking things slow in spring training while dealing with left adductor tightness, but barring another setback, he has plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day. Puk was going to be more interesting for fantasy managers in a potential starting role for the Oakland Athletics, but he was traded to the Marlins. In Miami, he should be put into a high-leverage bullpen role, and he could see some save opportunities in the team's closer-by-committee approach.

Miami Marlins relief pitchers A.J. Puk (groin) and Tanner Scott (biceps) have resumed throwing off a mound in camp on Friday. Puk is dealing with left adductor tightness in spring training after being acquired in a trade from the Oakland Athletics, while Scott is dealing with a left biceps injury. The Marlins aren't naming a set closer as they head into the 2023 campaign, so both Puk and Scott could be in play for save opportunities for the Fish this year in the early portion if they can get healthy before Opening Day. They both have plenty of time to avoid the injured list to begin the year.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk (groin) has some minor left adductor tightness but is scheduled to play catch on Tuesday. Right-hander Tommy Nance (shoulder) is dealing with slight shoulder discomfort and will be re-evaluated soon. Puk was acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, and given the depth at starting pitcher in Miami, he's expected to serve more in a high-leverage role out of the bullpen in 2023. The Marlins are expected to enter the regular season without a set closer, so he figures to battle for save chances among the likes of Dylan Floro, Tanner Scott and Matt Barnes. Nance is pretty much a non-factor in fantasy in what is expected to be a middle-relief role for the Fish. Both Puk and Nance still have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day.

The Miami Marlins acquired left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk from the Oakland Athletics on Saturday in exchange for outfielder JJ Bleday. With the move to Miami, Puk will likely be ticketed for a relief role, at least to begin the 2023 season, given the stacked nature of the Marlins' current starting rotation. It's a bit of a bummer for any fantasy managers looking for a potential value arm late in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues, as the A's were expected to let him compete for a rotation spot in spring training. The 27-year-old southpaw was one of Oakland's top prospects coming up, but injuries have hurt him and was removed to relief after he had Tommy John surgery back in 2017. Still, he could find work in a high-leverage role in Miami's bullpen, which could also make him interesting in fantasy in what is expected to be a closer committee.

Oakland Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk will get a chance to compete for a starting rotation spot in 2023, according to general manager David Forst. The 27-year-old southpaw was a starter as a prospect in the minor leagues, but he's made 84 appearances for the A's in three seasons, with all of them coming in relief. Puk had a career-best 3.12 ERA (3.68 FIP), 1.15 WHIP, his first four MLB saves and 76 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings for the A's last season. The A's have been mindful of his workload since he had Tommy John surgery in 2017, but Puk's desire for a bigger workload could land him a rotation spot to open the 2023 season. The hard-throwing lefty has lots of strikeout ability, which is why he fit the high-leverage relief role well, but staying healthy will be his primary concern if he ends up taking on a bigger workload as a starter.

The Oakland Athletics plan to use left-hander A.J. Puk out of the bullpen to open the regular season. Puk was expected to compete for a spot in the back end of the A's starting rotation this spring, but with the team holding onto Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea for now, Puk will instead open in a relief role. The talented 26-year-old hasn't been able to stay healthy and has made all 22 of his MLB appearances in two seasons in relief so far, posting a 4.74 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 29 strikeouts and 11 walks in 24 2/3 innings. Oakland is likely to utilize Puk in a multi-inning relief role, and although he won't be in the mix for saves, he could be useful for his K's in deep AL-only leagues. There's also a good chance that Puk will eventually enter the rotation if the A's trade one or both of Montas/Manaea by the trade deadline.

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher A.J. Puk threw another scoreless inning Monday at the White Sox to bring his season total up to 7 1/3 shutout innings as a reliever. Puk is the top pitching prospect in the A's organization, but he has not been able to stay on the field thanks to a litany of injuries over the years. He's using a new sinker this season which has a 16.7% whiff rate and has not given up a hit across 41 pitches. Obviously, we're dealing with a very small sample, but it's a good place to start for a pitcher that has always had huge potential. He won't collect saves with Lou Trivino in town, but managers looking for help with ERA and WHIP should consider Puk as a fantasy option.

The Oakland Athletics have recalled left-hander A.J. Puk before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Indians. Puk, rated as the second-best prospect in Oakland's system, has made one appearance this season back in April and has been in Triple-A since. He has put up subpar numbers in the minors this year, posting a 6.08 ERA while allowing 2.25 HR/9. Puk has a big arm that will generate plenty of strikeouts. However, he doesn't have much fantasy value until he can secure a spot in the Athletic's rotation or pitch well enough to start appearing in high leverage situations. In a corresponding move, Oakland designated reliever J.B. Wendelken for assignment.