Niese, who's 3-1 with a 4.68 ERA over seven appearances (six starts) at Triple-A Tacoma, is a candidate to be called up and make a spot start Tuesday against the Astros in place of Yusei Kikuchi, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw last took the hill for the Rainiers in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, so he'd be on his usual amount of rest if called up. Niese's last major-league appearance came in August 2016 with the Mets, a season he finished with a 5.50 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 121.0 innings.