Athletics' A.J. Puk: Stretching out to start

Puk will be stretched out this spring and given a shot to win a rotation spot, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Puk's undeniable talent earned him the sixth-overall selection in the 2016 draft, but injuries have so far prevented him from living up to expectations. The 26-year-old lefty has only thrown 24.2 major-league innings, all of which have come in relief, and his 4.74 ERA isn't particularly good. It looked as though his clearest path to fantasy relevance may have been through fully committing to the bullpen and eventually pushing for the closer job, but it now appears as though he could have a chance at a starting role. The Athletics will likely need as much rotation help as they can get, as they've already traded Chris Bassitt to the Mets and could potentially deal Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea as well.