The Nationals have released left-hander Matt Purke, according to the team’s transactions page. The 24-year-old Purke, who had been on the 40-man roster, underwent Tommy John surgery in late May.

Purke was a high-profile acquisition by the Nats in the 2011 draft, as he received a Major League deal and a total of $4.15MM ($2.75MM of which was in the form of a signing bonus) in the third round. The 6’4″, 215-pound southpaw was originally selected by the Ranges with the No. 14 overall pick in 2009, but he elected to attend college at TCU instead. Injuries are nothing new for Purke, as they were the main factor for his slide from the first round to the third round, although those concerns were pertaining to his shoulder.

Purke has totaled just 136 2/3 innings since being drafted in 2011, posting an even 5.00 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. He did pitch well in 90 innings in 2012, posting a 3.80 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, although his best work came at Class A Hagerstown. Baseball America ranked him 11th among Nats prospect a year ago at this time, noting that he’d lost some life on his fastball but still had a changeup that projected as above-average to plus and that he his floor was a big league reliever if he could stay healthy.