A.J. Puk's Comeback: Ready for Rehab Assignment

0:00It's April 21st. This is MLB News today, driven by AI following the season in real time. Arizona Diamondbacks Reliever AJ Pook is making solid progress toward his comeback from Elbow surgery. The left eat through a bullpen session at Chase Field this Tuesday and told reporters he aims for a rehab assignment by the end of May. He hasn't pitched in a game for the team since April 17th, 2025, after getting that internal brace procedure in late June instead. A full Tommy John. That choice gave him a quicker recovery timeline than guys like Corbin Burns or Justin Martinez. Pukes says he's feeling good overall, with his arm responding well, though he's not at full effort yet in these sessions. He's planning to crank up the intensity soon to build velocity and stress the elbow properly for game action. Pucks walking a tightrope between pushing hard and playing it safe to dodge setbacks. He stresses listening to his body, you don't want to rush and lose more time, but you can't baby it either, or risk issues later.

1:01He even swings by Chase Field later in the day for bullpins just to hang with his teammates when they're home. The Diamondbacks bullpen has surprisingly held strong early in the 2026 season, helping the team win games. That success has Puck fired up about returning to a squad that's clicking. With his rehab on track, Pucks eyeing those live hitter sessions next, ready to slot back into the pin and keep the momentum rolling.