A.J.

Puckett

Puckett provides the Mariners with some additional upper-level pitching depth. The 27-year-old righty posted a disastrous 7.36 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 74/25 K/BB ratio across 58 2/3 innings (33 appearances, five starts) last season for Double-A Mississippi.

Puckett was a second-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Pepperdine, and was traded by the Royals to the White Sox in the deal for Melky Cabrera. The right-hander has not thrown a pitch since 2017, as he missed 2018 while rehabbing an elbow injury before electing Tommy John surgery in 2019.

He issued one walk while throwing 37 of his 56 pitches for strikes. Sunday’s win was the first of Puckett’s minor league career, which began this summer when the Royals selected him as a second-round pick out of Pepperdine. Puckett hasn’t missed a beat since his promotion to Lexington, recording an impressive 3.09 ERA in nine starts for the Legends. The 21-year-old has held opponents to a miserable .213 average this year with 39 strikeouts in 183 at-bats.

Ranked by MLB.com as the Royals’ No. 13 prospect, Puckett holds a 3.90 ERA and 98/46 K/BB ratio over 108 1/3 innings at the High-A level this season. He was a second-round pick in last year’s Draft.