Felix Hernandez Activated from DL After Shoulder Injury

The Seattle Mariners activated starting pitcher Felix Hernandez from the 10-day disabled list. He'll start the Mariners' home game Friday night against the Houston Astros.

Greg Johns‏ of MLB.com confirmed the return of the team's longtime ace from a shoulder injury. Fellow starter Andrew Moore was sent down to Triple-A in the corresponding roster move.

Hernandez last started April 25 when he allowed six hits, two walks and four earned runs across two innings of work. It raised his ERA to 4.73 and his WHIP to 1.58, which would be the highest marks of his career, albeit with a small five-start sample size.

The once-dominant right-hander began to show signs of decline last year when he posted a 3.82 ERA, his highest figure since 2007, across 25 appearances. Most concerning was his dip in velocity from the mid-90s early in his career to the low 90s.

A decrease in the zip on his fastball combined with shoulder issues is a major red flag for any pitcher. That's why the Mariners decided to take the conservative route with the 31-year-old Venezuelan's recovery over the past two months, per Bob Dutton of the News Tribune.

"We're trying to plan for the long haul," manager Scott Servais said in early June. "We don't want to rush Felix back and then, 10 days or two weeks from now, he's not feeling right, and we've got to skip him or something like that. Let’s make sure he's completely right and on top of his game."

Hernandez faces a serious test in his first game back from the DL. The Astros lead the league in runs, homers and OPS so far in the 2017 season.