Nats claim reliever Murphy from Jays, release catcher Rivera

August waiver trades are a thing of the past, but teams still can still acquire players from other organizations under certain circumstances, and today the Nationals found a way to pick up another young pitcher who could potentially help them in their long-term plan to rebuild.

The Nats claimed right-hander Patrick Murphy off waivers from the Blue Jays, taking a shot at a 26-year-old reliever with good minor league numbers this season but a penchant for struggling with his command during his brief time in the majors.

Murphy, who had been rated the Blue Jays' 16th-best prospect by MLBPipeline.com, became available three days ago when Toronto designated him for assignment while clearing roster spots for others on their pitching staff. The Nationals put in a claim on him and were rewarded his rights when no clubs with worse records tried to acquire him.

The Nats immediately optioned Murphy to Triple-A Rochester, where he'll work to refine his fastball-curveball repertoire, but manager Davey Martinez suggested they intend to call him up to the big leagues at some point this season.

"We'll keep close eyes on him, and we'll see if we can bring him up here fairly soon," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "But we want to make sure he goes down there and gets settled in."

A third-round pick in the 2013 draft out of Chandler, Ariz., Murphy came up through the Blue Jays system as a starter, then made his major league debut last summer as a reliever. He's pitched out of the bullpen ever since, posting a 3.52 ERA and 1.565 WHIP in 15 1/3 big league innings to go along with a 1.00 ERA and 1.278 WHIP in 18 minor league innings this season.

Murphy began the year on the 60-day injured list with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, but he's been healthy over the last two months and has shuttled back and forth between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, while hoping the organization could hang onto Murphy after he was designated for assignment, spoke highly of him: "That kid isn't done pitching in the big leagues," he told reporters earlier this week.

Owner of a sinker that averages 96.5 mph and a curveball that averages 82.2 mph, Murphy figures to get a look in a revamped Nationals bullpen at some point.

"I liked him as a reliever," Martinez said. "He's a two-pitch guy. And he throws fairly hard, anywhere between 94-96. He's got a good curveball. Now we've just got to get him in that strike zone consistently."

To make room for Murphy on their 40-man roster, the Nationals released catcher René Rivera. The 38-year-old was signed last month when the club was desperate for catching help following injuries to Yan Gomes and Alex Avila. Rivera wound up appearing in only four games, going 3-for-14 with five strikeouts while allowing five of nine runners to steal off him.