The Athletics have parted ways with reliever Angel Felipe, as reported in the MLB.com transaction log. Felipe had been designated for assignment over the weekend.

Once Felipe was removed from the 40-man roster by the A’s, his release became almost certain. The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher recently underwent Tommy John surgery, rendering him ineligible to be placed on outright waivers due to his injury. With DFA being the only recourse, the options were limited to either trading Felipe or releasing him. Given his injury, finding a trade partner was highly unlikely.

Felipe lost his roster spot following Oakland’s announcement of the signing of J.D. Davis. While the A’s could have placed him on the 60-day injured list, this would have entailed paying him a $740K salary for the upcoming season. Moreover, they would have likely exposed him to waivers at the onset of the next offseason, as players cannot remain on the injured list during the offseason. Thus, releasing him instead was a logical decision.

Undoubtedly, this is a challenging situation for Felipe. Assuming he clears release waivers, he will become a free agent. The A’s may attempt to re-sign him to a two-year minor league deal at that juncture, but Felipe will have the freedom to explore other opportunities. Oakland claimed him off waivers from the Padres last June. Felipe made his debut with 14 appearances in the majors late last season, tallying seven runs with 19 strikeouts and 13 walks over 15 innings. While he possesses a mid-90s fastball, his consistency in throwing strikes has been an issue in the minors. Felipe has maintained a walk rate exceeding 15% throughout parts of eight minor league seasons, during which he has recorded a 4.65 ERA.