Waterloo, IA – Former Waterloo Bucks left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk  was called up to the big leagues Tuesday by the Oakland Athletics.  Puk joins Chicago White Sox infielder Ryan Goins as former Bucks who are active Major Leaguers and when Puk enters a game, he will become the 16^th former Buck to play Major League Baseball.

Puk, who played with Waterloo in 2014, has played in Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A this season, most recently with the Las Vegas Aviators of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.  This season in the minors, Puk has compiled a 4-1 record with a 4.97 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched.

A product of the University of Florida, Puk played as both a pitcher and an infielder with the Bucks in 2014.  The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native pitched in two games, starting both, earning a 2.08 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched for Waterloo.  At the plate, Puk played in 11 games, hitting .227 with two doubles and three RBI.  Puk was the sixth overall pick by the A’s in the 2016 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

The Bucks play their home games at Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium which welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested nearly $400,000 in stadium improvements since the end of the 2014 season including group outing areas, painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, kids zone inflatables, wiffle ball field, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.