Athletics' Freddy Tarnok: Starts up rehab assignment

Tarnok (hip) struck out one batter and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning in his first rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tarnok tossed only 10 pitches before his day came to an end, but the light workload could have been part of a pre-planned arrangement as the right-hander slowly ramps his way back up from right hip surgery, which he underwent in late August. The 25-year-old resides on the Athletics' 60-day injured list and won't be eligible for activation until late May, so he'll have plenty of time to build up his innings and pitch counts as he stretches back out for a starting role. Tarnok has two minor-league options remaining, so he could end up sticking around with Las Vegas if Oakland doesn't have an opening for him in the rotation once his 30-day rehab window closes.