The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander T.J. McFarland. Fellow southpaw Brandon Waddell was optioned to Triple-A Memphis and placed on the COVID-19-related injured list in a corresponding move.
McFarland, 32, signed a minor-league deal with the Cards earlier this summer. He’s since appeared in four games, holding opponents to a pair of runs on six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in seven frames. Swapping out Waddell for McFarland will keep three lefties in manager Mike Shildt’s bullpen, as McFarland will join Genesis Cabrera and Andrew Miller in the Cardinals’ relief corps.
An eight-year MLB veteran, McFarland last pitched in the Majors with the 2020 A’s, for whom he notched 20 2/3 innings of 4.35 ERA ball. He’s never missed many bats, but McFarland has solid control and is among the game’s best relievers in terms of keeping the ball on the ground. He’s pitched 401 innings since his 2013 MLB debut and compiled a 4.08 ERA with a 13.6% strikeout rate, a 7.6% walk rate and a gaudy 62.8% ground-ball rate.
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