Astros activate Jake Odorizzi from IL, option fellow righty Seth Martinez

The Astros activated Jake Odorizzi to start Sunday’s game against the A’s. To clear a roster spot, Seth Martinez has been optioned to Triple-A, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic.

Odorizzi’s postseason role is not yet clear, but he can nonetheless provide value here in the waning days of the regular season. He should have two more starts to audition for playoff usage. The 31-year-old has tossed 96 innings with a 4.22 ERA/4.60 FIP, 21.3 percent strikeout rate, 7.7 percent walk rate and 35.8 percent groundball rate.

Although the Astros have lost three in a row, they should clinch the AL West sometime in the next couple of days. They could clinch as early as Sunday with a win over the A’s and a Mariners loss. The Astros can begin to think ahead to setting up their playoff rotation for an ALDS showdown with the White Sox.

Martinez, 27, had just a cup of coffee, making three appearances this past week. After a pair of scoreless outings, Martinez was tagged for five earned runs his last time out against Oakland on Friday.