Oakland A’s recall Tanner Anderson, option Nick Martini

The Oakland A’s recalled pitcher Tanner Anderson on Tuesday, the team announced. To make room, outfielder Nick Martini was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The roster spot in question belongs to starter Brett Anderson, who went on the paternity list on Monday and will miss up to three games. Banderson must return by Thursday.

In the meantime, the A’s first brought up Martini on Monday. His stint only lasted one day, but he got his money’s worth, entering as a mid-game sub in left field and later moving to the mound to pitch a scoreless inning of garbage time in an 11-1 loss. At the plate he went 0-for-2.

Now the A’s turn to some extra pitching help, in the form of an actual pitcher. They only got two innings out of starter Homer Bailey on Monday, and then five more from relievers Brian Schlitter and Wei-Chung Wang, so adding a bit of emergency length to the pen makes sense in case they need it again on Tuesday against the powerful Astros.

This is the second time Tanderson has gotten the call to Oakland this year. He came up in early June and made five starts, and even looked decent in the first couple. But then he got knocked around a few times and eventually went back to Vegas.

Tanderson, OAK: 6.04 ERA, 22⅓ ip, 18 Ks, 7 BB, 4 HR, 4.88 FIP

Mike Fiers starts for the A’s on Tuesday, which is good news for the bullpen. Fiers has thrown quality starts in each of his last 11 outings, so he’s a good bet to at least eat six innings and save the relief corps from another long day. Houston counters with Wade Miley.