When the A’s called up A.J. Puk for his Major League debut in August 2019, he wowed the Oakland Coliseum crowd with fastballs that flirted with triple digits on the radar gun. That velocity was missing on Wednesday, but the results were satisfactory, nonetheless.

Appearing in a game for the first time since shoulder surgery last September, Puk’s fastball sat around 92-93 mph, a few ticks down from his '19 average fastball velocity of 97.1 mph as a reliever. Despite the lack of overpowering stuff, he still racked up four strikeouts and allowed two runs on two hits over two innings in the A’s 10-5 win over the Royals at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

“I was feeling great,” Puk said. “Just real excited to get back out there and face somebody wearing a different jersey other than our guys. I felt really comfortable.”

Puk’s goal entering his first Cactus League start was to display good command, which he was pleased with for the most part, apart from a two-run homer surrendered to Ryan McBroom in the first inning on a fastball that caught too much of the zone. Issuing only one walk, the left-hander worked ahead often by throwing first-pitch strikes to eight of the nine batters he faced.

As for the decrease in velocity, Puk still managed to generate swinging strikeouts on three of his four punchouts thanks to the other weapons in his arsenal, which includes a two-seam fastball, slider and curveball. He’s also working to sprinkle in a changeup this spring.

The lower velocity is typical for pitchers coming back from shoulder surgery, often taking months or even a year for the speed to build back up. But Puk, Oakland’s No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, doesn’t seem too worried about where his velocity is. Right now, it’s about staying healthy as he looks to put his string of recent arm injuries in the past.

“I’m just getting back into it,” Puk said. “Maybe I’ll get the velocity fully back. Maybe not. I’m more concerned about just going out there and feeling good, which I am. My shoulder is feeling strong and healthy.

“It’s still March. We’ve got another seven months of ball, so I’m not too concerned about it. I just want to go out there and keep feeling good on the mound.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin shared similar views about the 25-year-old lefty’s velocity, adding that Puk’s 6-foot-7 frame allows his fastball to look even faster to opposing hitters anyway.

“The ball seems like it plays better than 93 mph because of how tall he is and how close he is [to the plate] when he releases it,” Melvin said. “With some guys, you look at the radar gun and it’s more about the perceived velocity than the actual velocity.”

With veteran right-hander Mike Fiers likely to begin the regular season on the injured list with hip inflammation that continues to sideline him this spring, Puk is the leading candidate to fill that spot in the starting rotation. With about two weeks left in camp, he’ll get a couple more starts to build up his workload. Not having pitched in a real game since '19, Wednesday was a good first step back.

“It’s definitely a goal,” Puk said of making the A’s rotation out of spring. “I just want to pitch and be healthy, whether it’s starting or coming out of the bullpen. Whatever the team needs. I’m feeling good and I’m just going to keep on building and progressing.”

Rosenthal debuts
After a groin strain early in spring that kept him out of the start of Cactus League play, newcomer Trevor Rosenthal made his A’s debut on Wednesday. The right-hander replaced Puk in the third and allowed one run on two hits and a walk. He also recorded a strikeout in the inning.

A veteran who will enter his ninth big league season, Rosenthal doesn’t have much to work on at this stage of his career. His focus will be on fine-tuning his body for a year in which he enters with high expectations from the A’s as he takes over the team’s closer duties. The 30-year-old righty was dominant with the Royals and Padres last season, combining for 11 saves and a 1.90 ERA across 23 appearances with 38 strikeouts and just eight walks in 23 2/3 innings pitched.

“It was good to finally get out there. I was excited and felt really good,” Rosenthal said. “I’m just going to continue trying to get in a groove. Physically, I felt good and was happy with how the ball was coming out. I’ll just continue, hopefully with no setbacks, and dial it in over the next couple of weeks.”

Up next
The A’s travel to Peoria, Ariz., for a 1:10 p.m. PT game against the Padres on Thursday. Left-hander Sean Manaea takes the mound for his second spring start in a game that is expected to feature the Cactus League debut of catcher Sean Murphy, who is returning from emergency surgery over the offseason to repair a collapsed lung. Left-hander Adrian Morejon will start for San Diego.