Puk (0-6) took the loss Monday against the Padres, giving up an unearned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning.
Entering a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh, Puk appeared to have gotten out of the inning when he coaxed a grounder from Fernando Tatis for a potential double play, but Tim Anderson couldn't come up with the ball -- the first of two errors in the frame for the Marlins' shortstop. Puk's move back to the bullpen hasn't helped him turn his season around -- through five relief appearances and four innings, he has a 6.75 ERA and a 1:2 K:BB.
Puk earned the save Tuesday against the Tigers, delivering a scoreless 10th inning in a 1-0 victory.
After the Marlins finally opened the scoring in the top of the 10th inning, Puk induced three straight flyouts in the bottom half to strand the free runner at second and earn his first save in his second appearance out of the bullpen this season. Puk spent three weeks on the IL with shoulder fatigue after struggling mightily to a 9.22 ERA in four chances as a starter. The 29-year-old left-hander certainly had more success out of the bullpen last season, when he pitched to a 3.97 ERA with 15 saves in 56.2 innings. Puk was immediately inserted back into a high-leverage role, though he'll likely work primarily as a setup option ahead of Tanner Scott.
The Marlins activated Puk (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Monday.
It's been a little more than three weeks since Puk landed on the IL with left shoulder fatigue, but he's ready to return after yielding two runs with a 7:0 K:BB over 3.2 innings across his four minor-league rehab appearances. Puk struggled mightily as a member of the Miami rotation earlier this season, but he'll be used in relief in his return from the IL and should eventually see usage in high-leverage spots.
Puk (shoulder) made the second appearance of his rehab assignment with the Marlins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Monday, striking out two over a scoreless inning.
Puk has turned in identical two-strikeout perfect innings in the FCL since he started up his rehab assignment Friday. The left-hander broke camp as a member of the Miami rotation, but after turning in a 9.22 ERA and 2.63 WHIP over his four starts before landing on the injured list April 20 with shoulder fatigue, he'll work out of the bullpen once the Marlins activate him. Puk could settle into a high-leverage role in front of closer Tanner Scott right away upon his return to the big club.
