The Athletics announced today that right-hander has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Left-hander has been designated for a signment as the corresponding move. They also announced their release of , which . The 40-man roster count drops to 38. McFarland, 36, was also with the As last year. He posted a solid 3.81 earned run average in 2024, with his usual blend of low strikeout totals but high numbers of ground balls. The two sides reunited for 2025 on a one-year deal worth $1.8MM. Unfortunately, things have been far le s pleasant this year. The veteran lefty has made 27 appearances here in 2025 but has logged just 15 2/3 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Jersey innings with a 6.89 ERA. Its not quite as bad as that number would suggest. A .393 batting average on balls in play and 66.2% strand rate arent helping him, which is why his 4.61 FIP and 3.81 SIERA are far more pleasant numbers. However, his 9.5% strikeout rate is low, even for him. He has a 13.7% strikeout rate in his career and was at 16.6% just last year. On the other hand, he is still getting those grounders. This year, opponents are pounding the ball into the dirt at a 61.3% clip. Thats right in line with his career rate of 61.7%. Major league average is usually around 42%, give or take, so thats clearly a strong range to be in. Perhaps McFarland would fit better on a club with stronger defense. The As have a collective -20 Outs Above Average this year, tied with the Nationals for worst in the majors. Their -37 Defensive Runs Saved tally is ahead of only the Rockies. Perhaps that explains some of the poor batted ball luck and difficulties stranding runners. But given his poor results and salary, hes likely to end up a free agent shortly. Clubs will be reluctant to claim him off waivers, as doing so would mean absorbing whats left of the contract. If he clears waivers, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright a signment while keeping that salary intact. Its po sible the As skip that formality and release him. If he does end up a free agent, the As would be on the hook for his salary. Another club could then sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the As pay. At that point, its po sible a club takes a shot on a bounceback. McFarland has 546 1/3 big league innings under his belt with a 4.18 ERA, thanks largely to that ability to keep the ball on the ground. It has been backfiring on him this year but, as mentioned, it could work out better somewhere else. With the trade deadline still a month away and bullpen upgrades difficult to come by at the moment, there may be clubs willing to take a cheap flier on the veteran to see how it plays out. Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images James Harden Jersey