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Athletics' Melvin: No specific innings limits for Luzardo, Puk

Michael Zagaris / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Oakland Athletics aren't planning to restrict their top pitching prospects in 2020.

With pitchers and catchers officially reporting to the team's Cactus League complex in Arizona on Wednesday, manager Bob Melvin said both Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk do not currently have any specific innings limitations, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Luzardo, 22, was held to 55 innings across four levels last year, missing time due to a Grade 2 muscle strain in his throwing shoulder.

The left-hander wound up making six relief appearances for the A's at the end of the season, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 16 over 12 innings of work. He's currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in all of baseball and the second-best left-handed pitcher behind MacKenzie Gore, according to MLB Pipeline.

The 24-year-old Puk underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2018 and threw 36 2/3 innings across four levels last year. That included authoring a 3.18 ERA and a 3.39 FIP over 10 relief outings at the major-league level. He's ranked 60th on MLB Pipeline's list, behind fellow lefty pitchers Brendan McKay, Tarik Skubal, Nick Lodolo, and Matthew Liberatore.

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