Nick Tepesch claimed off waivers by Athletics

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers won't be able to keep pitcher Nick Tepesch around for depth, as the pitcher was claimed off waivers by the Athletics on Monday afternoon, Oakland announced.

The transaction was full of old friends, as Oakland designated Eric Surkamp for assignment to make room on the roster for the new pitcher. Surkamp was Tepesch-like for the Dodgers in 2015, as both appeared in one game for the team, a outing that saw each allow more runs than innings pitched.

Friday was the day for Tepesch, who started the opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh and did not fare well, allowing five runs in four innings to take the loss. The Dodgers could have optioned Tepesch to the minors had they wanted to keep him on the 40-man roster, but instead designated him for assignment on Saturday when infielder Chris Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

That extra space on the 40-man roster will be used to call up Brock Stewart to start for the Dodgers on Wednesday in Milwaukee, though the Dodgers have yet to officially announce their starter for he middle game at Miller Park.

Tepesch, 27, signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers on June 6 after opting out of his minor league deal with the Rangers, for whom he made 39 major league starts in 2013-2014 before missing all of 2015 with elbow problems. In three starts for Oklahoma City, Tepesch was 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA, with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 18 innings.