Dennis Ryan Tepera was born on November 3, 1987, he is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).
He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox. He attended Brazoswood High School in Texas, and played college baseball for the Sam Houston State Bearkats.
The Blue Jays selected Tepera in the 19th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, and made 11 appearances for the team, including 5 starts. Tepera posted a 3–1 win–loss record, 1.72 ERA, and 42 strikeouts in 362⁄3 innings.
Tepera was designated for assignment on November 4, 2019. He elected free agency four days later. On December 20, he signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. On November 12, 2020, Tepera received a single vote for National League Most Valuable Player, finishing in a tie for eighteenth place.
On July 29, 2021, Tepera was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Bailey Horn. Between the Cubs and White Sox, in 2021 Tepera had a 2.79 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 61+1⁄3 innings. Tepera pitched 4+2⁄3 innings for the White Sox in the series, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts.
On March 19, 2022, Tepera signed a 2-year, $14M contract with the Los Angeles Angels. He made his Angels debut on April 7, 2022, against the Houston Astros, pitching one inning but surrendering consecutive solo home runs to Alex Bregman and Yordan Álvarez.
On April 11, 2022, he struck out the side in the 8th inning in a 6–2 win over the Marlins. On April 20, Tepera pitched 2.0 perfect innings in a combined 1-hit 1-walk shutout in relief of starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani.