Puk shut down with shoulder soreness

A.J. Puk was slated to be a key component of Oakland's march toward the 2020 postseason. That expectation has gotten slimmer with each passing day.

On the Injured List since July 20, the newly crowned top A's prospect has suffered another apparent setback in his recovery from a left shoulder strain. Scheduled to throw Sunday at the A's alternate training site in San Jose, California, Puk's session was canceled after he felt soreness in his shoulder.

“He didn’t throw yesterday and didn’t feel good enough to throw today or even play catch,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. “It’s the shoulder again. He’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 expected to be a part of Oakland's pitching staff as the season got underway. He made his Major League debut last September, finishing 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA over 10 appearances in relief. The 25-year-old struck out 13 batters in 11 1/3 innings.

Oakland's 2016 first-round Draft pick underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 and missed the next season entirely. MLB.com's No. 59 prospect was brought along slowly in the Minors last year, when he appeared in 18 games, including four starts, spanning 25 1 /3 innings across three levels prior to his big league debut.