Athletics claim Marcus Walden off waivers from Blue Jays

The Oakland Athletics have claimed right-hander Marcus Walden off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, according to a team announcement. Walden, who was designated for assignment by Toronto on Tuesday, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Walden, 25, has had a couple of stints on the Jays' big league roster this season, but has never made a major league appearance. He made three relief appearances for Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the season, surrendering six earned runs in just four innings of work.

After being selected by the Jays in the ninth round of the 2007 daft, Walden has spent seven-plus seasons in the team's minor league system. In 114 games (90 starts) across six different levels, he is the owner of a lifetime 32-33 record and 3.73 ERA in the minors. Walden has never been ranked by Baseball America among the Blue Jays' top thirty prospects, but is likely viewed as potential bullpen depth by the Athletics.

It is unclear at this time if the A's will use Walden as a starter or reliever, as he has been a starter for his entire minor league career but pitched exclusively in relief this season.