Tuesday night, the Oakland Athletics won 4-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, but it wasn’t nearly the most promising 4-3 win of the night in the organization.
Over a year after his Tommy John surgery cast doubt on his future, 24-year-old long-haired lefty A.J. Puk made his debut for the Double-A Stockton Ports, followed close behind by the 21-year-old Peruvian prospect Jesus Luzardo, returning for the first time from a shoulder strain he sustained before the 2019 season.
Both unanimously considered two of the top-5 left-handed pitching prospects in the minor leagues coming into the 2019 season (Luzardo was top-15 overall by all major scouting networks and Puk topped out at No.