A's release veteran RHP Estrada

Right-hander Marco Estrada went from the Oakland Athletics' No. 2 starter to free agent in the course of this year, as the club released the veteran Tuesday.

Signed as a free agent in January with hopes of being a leader in the rotation, the 36-year old was 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA in five starts before going on the injured list in mid-April with a lumbar strain. Estrada began a rehab assignment on July 25 but never made it back to the major leagues.

Estrada had one outing with the Athletics' rookie-league team on a rehab assignment, three at Class-A Stockton and one at Triple-A Las Vegas, going a combined 0-1 with an 8.55 ERA.

A sixth-round draft pick by the Washington Nationals in 2005 out of Long Beach State, Estrada made his major league debut with the Nationals in 2008 and has also pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland.

Estrada is 62-68 in 238 appearances (194 starts) and has a career 4.29 ERA. He finished 10th in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2015 and made his only All-Star team in 2016.

In another move Tuesday, the A's purchased the contract of left-hander A.J. Puk from Triple-A Las Vegas. Puk, 24, went 4-1 with a 4.97 ERA in 18 games (four starts) for three A's farm teams this year. He struck out 38 and walked 10 in 25 1/3 innings.

Oakland opened a spot on the 25-man roster for Puk on Monday by optioning left-hander Wei-Chung Wang to Las Vegas. They also outrighted catcher Dustin Garneau to Triple-A, clearing a spot for Puk on the 40-man roster.

Wang, 27, was 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the A's this year.

Garneau, 32, had been designated for assignment on Friday. He hit .294 with one homer and seven RBIs in seven games for Oakland after he was acquired off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels earlier this month.

--Field Level Media