Philadelphia Phillies Claim A's Reliever Acquired in Sean Murphy Deal

Jason Burke | Jun 1, 2024

Aug 9, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Freddy Tarnok (62) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's announced that right-hander Freddy Tarnok has been claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies. Tarnok is the second player now in Philadelphia that was part of a recent big trade between the A's and Atlanta Braves, joining outfielder Cristian Pache.

Tarnok was a part of the A's and Braves deal that landed Sean Murphy in Atlanta, while Pache was a decent-sized part of the trade for Matt Olson.

Tarnok has been battling injuries for most of his tenure with the A's, undergoing hip surgery in August of last year. The 25-year-old began his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators on May 8, so a decision about what to do with him was looming as the 30-day marker approached, but he also still has two options remaining, so he could have just stayed in the minors once he'd been activated from the 60-day IL.

The problem the A's ran into however is that they don't have a ton of roster flexibility at the moment, and there aren't too many options to remove from the current 40-man to clear a spot for his return. This was compounded by the imminent return of Luis Medina to the A's rotation on Sunday, and he is also on the 60-day IL and will require someone to be removed from the 40-man roster.

Tarnok's transactions page does does list that he was placed on waivers, but the A's made the announcement that Tarnok is now with the Phillies.

In six rehab games, Tarnok has totaled 7 1/3 innings pitched with a 13.50 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. Four of his six outings resulted in multiple runs allowed.

Tarnok has also had a couple of brief stints in the big leagues over the past two seasons, tossing 15 1/3 innings and holding a 4.70 ERA. He has struck out 15 and walked 11 in that span.