Andrew Jacob Puk ( ; born April 25, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

and

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

. Puk played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. The Athletics selected him in the first round with the sixth overall pick of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, and he made his MLB debut in 2019.

Amateur career

Puk attended Washington High School in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

. He was a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and pitcher in baseball and also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. He was drafted by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in the 35th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

, but did not sign and attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

to play

. As a freshman at Florida, Puk appeared in 19 games and made seven starts. He had a 5–2

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

with a 3.35

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), 44

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s, and one save. In April 2015, Puk and a teammate were arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespass after they climbed a crane inside a marked construction site on Florida's campus. The charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor and he was briefly suspended. After the suspension, Puk returned to help lead the Gators to the

2015 College World Series The 2015 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 29, 2015, as part of the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2015 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which beg ...

Professional career

Oakland Athletics

Puk was ranked among the top prospects for the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

in early rankings. The

selected him in the first round with the sixth overall pick of the draft. He signed a contract with a $4,069,200

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and was assigned to the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who were founded in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. They were members of Minor League Baseball, in the New York–Penn League (NYPL), ...

of the Low–A

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. He finished the 2016 season with a 0–4 record and a 3.03 ERA in 10 starts. Puk spent 2017 with the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

of the High–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

and the

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

of the Double–A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, pitching in 27 games (24 starts), posting a combined 6–10 record with a 4.03 ERA, along with 184 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched, between both teams. On April 11, 2018, Puk underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, forcing him to miss the 2018 season. Puk began the 2019 season with Midland, and was promoted to the

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

during the season. On August 20, 2019, the Athletics promoted Puk to the major leagues. Puk made his major league debut against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

on August 21, retiring one of three batters faced. Puk earned his first career win on September 5, pitching two innings in relief with one earned run and two strikeouts. Puk finished the season with a 2–0 record with a 3.18 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 appearances (11 innings pitched). On September 6, 2020, Puk continued to have lingering issues in his throwing shoulder during training. On September 11, Athletic's manager

Bob Melvin Robert Paul Melvin (born October 28, 1961) is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Melvin has been named Manager of the Year three times. S ...

officially shut him down for the season. Puk was scheduled to have shoulder surgery on September 16. In 2021, Puk appeared in 12 games for Oakland, registering an 0-3 record and 6.08 ERA with 16 strikeouts in innings pitched. After being stretched out as a starter in spring training in 2022, Puk returned to the bullpen, appearing in 62 contests for the Athletics. Puk recorded his first career save on July 22 against the Texas Rangers. In 66.1 innings pitched, he worked to a 4-3 record and 3.12 ERA with 4 saves and 76 strikeouts.

Miami Marlins

On February 11, 2023, the Athletics traded Puk to the

in exchange for JJ Bleday. In 58 appearances out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

, he compiled a 7–5 record and 3.97 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 15 saves over innings of work. In 2024, the Marlins attempted to use Puk as a starting pitcher. He made four starts for the Marlins, pitching to a 9.22 ERA, before he went on the injured list. He returned as a relief pitcher.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 25, 2024, the Marlins traded Puk to the

in exchange for

Deyvison De Los Santos Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Miami Marlins system: Players Max Acosta Máximo Douglas José Acosta (born October 29, 2002) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Miami Marlins of Major League ...

and

Andrew Pintar Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Miami Marlins system: Players Max Acosta Máximo Douglas José Acosta (born October 29, 2002) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Miami Marlins of Major League ...

. He made 30 appearances for Arizona down the stretch, recording a 1.32 ERA with 43 strikeouts and two saves across innings pitched. On April 29, 2025, Puk was shut down after being diagnosed with a flexor strain; he was transferred to the 60-day injured list two days later.

International career

In the summer of 2015, Puk played for the United States collegiate national team. Against Cuba, Puk, Tanner Houck and Ryan Hendrix combined to throw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

References

External links

Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puk, A. J. 1995 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Florida Complex League Marlins players Florida Gators baseball players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jupiter Hammerheads players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Midland RockHounds players Oakland Athletics players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Stockton Ports players Vermont Lake Monsters players Waterloo Bucks players