Dodgers lose Nick Tepesch on waivers to Oakland A’s.

The Oakland A’s claimed Nick Tepesch off waivers on Monday, two days after the right-handed pitcher was designated for assignment by the Dodgers.

The Dodgers didn’t have Tepesch very long. He was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers earlier this month, then rushed to the major leagues last Friday when the Dodgers ran short on starting pitchers. Tepesch allowed five runs in his only start and took the loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was DFA’d one day later.

Though predictable, Tepesch’s departure creates a hole on the depth chart at the Triple-A level. The Dodgers might seek to address that need externally in the coming days.

Dodgers’ Wednesday starter remains to be determined.

Carlos Frias

Carlos Frias is scheduled to start Monday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but could make a spot start for the Dodgers on Wednesday instead. (Associated Press photo)

PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers still haven’t identified which pitcher will start Wednesday in Milwaukee.

The front-runner would be right-hander Carlos Frias, who is still listed as the starting pitcher for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, but for a minor procedural problem. He was optioned to Triple-A June 21 and therefore isn’t eligible to be recalled until July 1 per MLB rules. An exception can be made when another player is injured, so any lingering hangnails between now and Wednesday could vault Frias into the Dodgers’ rotation.

Frias has thrown 36 ⅔ innings at Double-A and Triple-A this season since returning from an oblique injury at the start of the season. He has a combined 3.93 ERA across a mix of good and bad outings. The last one was good: 5 ⅓ innings of shutout ball Wednesday in Oklahoma City against Round Rock.

Frias would be pitching with an extra two days’ rest, however. Brock Stewart, who started only the third Triple-A game of his career Friday, is already lined up to start Wednesday on regular rest. The 24-year-old right-hander has performed well at Oklahoma City (six earned runs, 27 strikeouts in 18 ⅔ innings) in a small sample size. Stewart, the Dodgers’ sixth-round pick in 2014 out of Illinois State, began the year at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Dave Roberts didn’t rule out Stewart in his pregame scrum Sunday. He did rule out right-hander Mike Bolsinger, and previously ruled out Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy. Ross Stripling is out; he’ll piggyback off Ryu’s next rehab start for Oklahoma City on Tuesday. So is prospect Jose De Leon, who threw 77 pitches in 3 ⅓ innings Saturday, and Nick Tepesch, who was designated for assignment after his spot start Friday.

Roberts did say the team is looking internally and that a bullpen game is unlikely:
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Dodgers designate Nick Tepesch for assignment, leaving Wednesday’s starter TBD.

Nick Tepesch

Nick Tepesch meets with Yasmani Grandal during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-6 win over the Dodgers on Friday. Tepesch was designated for assignment Saturday. (Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — In today’s episode of “As The Fifth Starter Turns,” the Dodgers designated Nick Tepesch for assignment, one day after the right-hander allowed five runs in four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers lost 8-6, ending their six game winning streak.

Infielder Chris Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Taylor, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners last week in exchange for pitcher Zach Lee, is in uniform today (wearing number 3). We’ll have more from him later.

For now, the Dodgers’ fifth starter remains a question mark, with the next TBA turn in the rotation looming Wednesday in Milwaukee. It won’t be Hyun-Jin Ryu or Brandon McCarthy, who haven’t built up the requisite arm strength yet in their minor league rehabs, or Carlos Frias, who isn’t eligible to be recalled unless a current pitcher is injured.

Here’s what Dave Roberts said on the topic Saturday:

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Game 75: Nick Tepesch mowed down by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Nick Tepesch

Nick Tepesch meets with Yasmani Grandal during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-6 win over the Dodgers on Friday. (Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Spot starter Nick Tepesch and the Dodgers’ strained bullpen could not sustain a six-game winning streak despite 13 hits in an 8-6 loss to the Pirates. The box score is here.

Andrew Friedman said that Frankie Montas has a chance to return this season from a stress reaction in his rib.

Here’s what they were saying after tonight’s game:
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Frankie Montas out 4-8 weeks with (another) injured rib.

Frankie Montas

Getty Images

PITTSBURGH — Dodgers pitcher Frankie Montas, who missed the first six weeks of the regular season while recovering from off-season rib surgery, has an injury to his second rib and won’t pitch for four to eight weeks. The news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

Montas, 23, last pitched at Triple-A on June 15. He has a 2.38 earned-run average in four games (three starts) for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 11 ⅓ innings.

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