PITTSBURGH -- Nick Tepesch will be the latest pitcher asked to hold down the No. 5 spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation until reinforcements arrive.
The Dodgers officially added Tepesch to the active roster Friday once they designated outfielder Will Venable for assignment. Tepesch, 27, was signed by the Dodgers on June 6 after starting the season in the Texas Rangers organization, and was impressive in three starts at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The right-hander was 3-0 with Oklahoma City, posting a 2.00 ERA. In his last start on June 17, he gave up just one run on three hits over eight innings against New Orleans.
Tepesch likely will not have a lot of time to prove himself with the Dodgers. Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu are on the way back from surgeries last year and both are in the midst of minor-league rehab assignments, although Ryu struggled in his most recent outing Thursday.
In just 77 pitches for Oklahoma City against Round Rock on Thursday, Ryu gave up eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits over four innings. Two of the hits were home runs.
Tepesch has 42 major league games to his credit, 39 of them starts over two separate seasons for the Rangers. He went 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 19 appearances in 2013, and 5-11 with a 4.36 ERA in 23 appearances in 2014.
The Missouri native missed the 2015 season with nerve irritation in his right arm.
Venable, who was signed on June 14, played in just six games with the Dodgers, two of them starts. He had one hit in 10 at-bats.
