The Athletics have claimed righty Nick Tepesch off waivers from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. Oakland designated lefty Eric Surkamp to clear a roster spot.
Tepesch made a spot start for Los Angeles, marking his first major league outing since 2014. He was far from dominant, but obviously showed enough for Oakland to desire his services. Tepesch has battled through injury issues, but provided the Rangers with some good innings over 2013-14 and was carrying a 3.66 ERA at the Triple-A level on the year.
As for Surkamp, 28, it’s a been a tough go thus far in 2016. He has contributed 38 2/3 innings in nine starts, surrendering thirty earned runs on 55 hits (including eight home runs) while posting an ugly 22:21 K/BB ratio. Surkamp has been rather effective at the Triple-A level — he owns a 3.56 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 293 1/3 career innings — but has never been able to translate that consistently to the big leagues.
He was on the Dodgers, not Rangers.
He was on the Dodgers for one game. As the story says, he was with the Rangers in 2013-14.
The guy was throwing in the high 80’s and they allowed him to face the Pirates and then release him? Now they have no starter for Wednesday’s game. What great rotation planning with or without injuries.
Brock Stewart has already been called up, so he is likely to start Wednesday. Yet another hunk of raw meat.
Who? Brock Stewart? Kid is only 24 and has been lighting up the Minors.
Nick Tepesch is definitely fodder, though – if that’s who you mean. Not sure what the Dodgers were thinking.
Tepesch was also having a good run in Triple-A when they called him up. Stewart basically came out of nowhere to get the call. Difficult to not see this rapid elevation as premature and at least a little desperate.
Surkamp lowered the bar so low that there is no doubt Tepesch will do better. All he needs to do is get through 5 innings and he does a better job.
doubt he’ll do that…..
Tepesch has to be an upgrade from Surkamp. The A’s have an entire legitimate major league starting rotation on the DL. Henderson Alvarez may never play for them at this rate. They’re playing a little better lately and Reddick and Manaea will be back soon, so this next month will determine if they can get back into the wild card race — you never know what the A’s are going to do.