Manager Bob Melvin didn't completely rule out the idea of Puk breaking camp on the Opening Day roster, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic Bay Area reports. "Who knows," said Melvin when the question of Puk opening the year in the big leagues was posed to him.
Puk is probably already one of Oakland's top five starting pitchers, even though he has never pitched at Triple-A, so Melvin, as the manager, would probably love it if he got to open the year with the electric 6-foot-7 lefty in his rotation. However, from a business sense, it would be a foolish move for the rebuilding A's to sacrifice a year of team control by putting Puk on the Opening Day roster. The main takeaway is that Puk might make his big-league debut sooner than many expect. He has dominant stuff, led by a fastball and slider that could each be 70-grade offerings. While his ratios may be middling in his rookie campaign, he should have no problem striking out a batter per inning, which will make him relevant in a lot of formats.