Nationals acquire left-hander Marc Rzepczynski

The Washington Nationals acquired left-handed pitcher Marc Rzepczynski and cash considerations from the Oakland Athletics on Thursday in exchange for Minor League infielder Max Schrock. Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Rzepczynski, 30, comes to the Nationals with a 1-0 record and a 3.00 ERA in 56 appearances out of Oakland's bullpen this season. An eight-year major league veteran, Rzepczynski has also enjoyed big league time with Toronto, St. Louis, Cleveland and San Diego.

Over the course of his career, Rzepczynski has held left-handed batters to a .225 batting average, a .295 on-base percentage and a .302 slugging percentage. Of the 714 left-handed batters he's faced in his career, Rzepczynski has allowed just eight total home runs.

In 2016, Rzepczynski's 70.5 percent groundball rate is the second-best in the major leagues, behind only Baltimore closer Zach Britton, and his 0.25 home runs allowed per nine innings is the eighth-lowest mark in the American League. He joins the Nationals having held opponents scoreless in 15 of his last 16 appearances (1 ER/8.2 IP, 1.04 ERA). Used primarily by Oakland as a left-handed specialist (39 of his 56 appearances have been less than 1.0 inning), Rzepczynski's 56 appearances this season are the eighth-most in the American League.

No stranger to the postseason, Rzepczynski appeared in the playoffs for three straight seasons -- 2011 and 2012 for the St. Louis Cardinals, and 2013 for the Cleveland Indians -- earning a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 2011. In his 18 career playoff appearances, Rzepczynski has turned in scoreless relief on 15 occasions.

Schrock, 21, was a 13th-round selection of the Nationals' in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. An infielder out of the University of South Carolina, Schrock was a midseason South Atlantic League All-Star after hitting .326 (88-for-270) with 20 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 22 walks, 39 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 67 games for Single-A Hagerstown. He was promoted to Single-A Potomac on June 27, where he has hit .341 (79-for-232) with 11 doubles, five home runs and 29 RBIs in 54 games.