One day after winning his big-league debut, Andrew Moore is heading back to Triple-A Tacoma.
Probably not for long, though.
The Mariners optioned Moore to the Rainiers on Friday in order to clear space on their 25-man roster for veteran Felix Hernandez, who was activated from the disabled list.
Hernandez is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Houston at Safeco Field. It will be his first big-league start since April 25, when he exited after two innings at Detroit because of what was later diagnosed as shoulder bursitis.
The decision to send Moore to Tacoma stems, largely, from a scheduling quirk that provides the Mariners with two open dates next week in a four-day span — the Mariners won’t need a fifth starter in their rotation until early July.