Washington granted McFarland his unconditional release from his minor-league contract Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post speculates that McFarland asked for his release after the Nationals bypassed the lefty for a call-up earlier this week in favor of another southpaw reliever at Triple-A Rochester in Kyle Lobstein. McFarland made 18 appearances out of the Rochester bullpen, posting a 5.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 24 innings.

The Nationals returned McFarland to their alternate training site in Fredericksburg on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Released by Washington on March 27, McFarland re-signed with the organization two days later on a minor-league deal. McFarland joined Washington as a member of the taxi squad for its road trip in Los Angeles over the weekend, but he'll head back to the alternate site with the Nationals electing to replace him on the taxi squad with infielder Luis Garcia.

McFarland was released by the Nationals on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland was in camp as a non-roster invitee but was unable to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster after posting a 3.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 10 innings this spring. He'll now be able to seek out other options as a free agent ahead of the regular season.

McFarland signed a minor-league contract with Washington on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland has struck out fewer than 15 percent of opposing batters in each of the last seven seasons, but he's managed a perfectly respectable 4.05 ERA thanks in large part due to a 63.8 percent groundball rate. His ERA came in at 4.35 last season, a number which would likely earn him a middle-relief role, though he struck out just 9.8 percent of opposing batters, which may be approaching the lower bound for what a big-league pitcher can do while still having some degree of success.

McFarland, who allowed an earned run on a solo home run and also surrendered one other hit and a walk over one inning in a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday, now has an 11.37 ERA across the 6.1 innings he's pitched in September.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland came into the month boasting a sparkling 0.68 ERA and 0.98 WHIP on the season, which had rendered him one of the most reliable middle-relief options for manager Bob Melvin to that point. However, those numbers are now a distant memory, as they've ballooned to 3.86 and 1.39, respectively, following his extended stretch of ineffectiveness. McFarland has allowed at least one run in five of the first seven appearances of the month, with the three homers he's yielded over that span pivotal to his poor numbers.

McFarland, who allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk over one inning in a loss to the Padres on Sunday, has been scored upon in each of his first two September outings after coming into the month having yielded just one earned run over his first 15 appearances of the season.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland has been one of the most reliable middle-to-later-inning relief options for manager Bob Melvin during what has mostly been a banner year for the Athletics bullpen. However, the veteran southpaw has shown a bit more vulnerability to open September, although he'd been so effective coming into the month that his ERA still sits at an elite 1.76 across 15.1 innings. Despite the recent pair of stumbles, McFarland figures to continue playing an integral role down the stretch as a key left-handed relief option.

McFarland was credited with his fourth hold in a win over the Rangers on Thursday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he allowed one hit and did not record any walks or strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland has quickly established himself as a middle-to-later-inning option for manager Bob Melvin, with Thursday's outing already marking his fourth appearance in August. The veteran southpaw has yet to allow a run or issue a walk over 5.2 frames, but given he's now worked three consecutive days, McFarland may be unavailable for the early part of the weekend series against the Astros.

McFarland (1-0) allowed one hit and struck out one without allowing a run in two-thirds of an inning to earn the win in Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

McFarland became the pitcher of record when Austin Allen put the Athletics ahead with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. Through 4.2 innings this season, McFarland has allowed just three hits and struck out two batters without allowing a run. He's been a reliable option in middle relief during his first year in Oakland.

McFarland was credited with his first hold of the season in Sunday's win over the Angels, firing a perfect sixth inning.

EDGE Analysis

The left-hander's first regular season in Oakland has gotten off to an encouraging start, as McFarland also handcuffed the trio of Tommy La Stella, Albert Pujols and Jason Castro on 13 pitches in his debut on Opening Night. McFarland's ability to keep the ball down is one of his most appealing attributes to manager Bob Melvin, and fittingly, the 30-year-old has retired five of the first six batters he's faced this season on groundballs.

McFarland is viewed as an important left-handed component of the bullpen, particularly due to his ability to induce groundballs, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports. "He's a ground ball guy. You look at those numbers, it's pretty significant, whether it's left or right," manager Bob Melvin said. "And when you're putting together a bullpen this season - and the three-batter minimum, it starts tomorrow - you're looking for lefties who can get right-handers out."

EDGE Analysis

The offseason acquisition recorded an unsightly 6.00 ERA across six innings over six Cactus League appearances before spring training was suspended. Despite the elevated figure, McFarland's profile could make him a good fit if he's used selectively, with Melvin's comments implying the team has already developed a plan to do just that. The 30-year-old's reputation for keeping batted balls down is well-earned, as he's generated a groundball rate of at least 61.1 percent in three consecutive seasons. McFarland has had intermittent success throughout a major-league career that dates back to 2013, but Rubin notes the .313 expected batting average against him last season ranked among the bottom one percentile in the majors.