Mariners recall C Jamie Burke from Tacoma, designate reliever Denny Stark for assignment

Mariners recall C Burke from Tacoma

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners recalled catcher Jamie Burke from Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday and designated reliever Denny Stark for assignment.

The Mariners also announced left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith will make at least one more rehab start for Tacoma before returning to the team. Rowland-Smith had been scheduled to start for Seattle on Thursday at Baltimore.

With Kenji Johjima already on the disabled list with a broken toe and Rob Johnson out with an injured left foot, the Mariners had only one available catcher on the roster in Guillermo Quiroz.

Quiroz has played in only two games since being called up from Double-A West Tennessee on May 26. Burke got the start against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said Johnson will be out for a few more days but should be able to return by the end of their series against the Orioles on Thursday.

“He was much better today,” Wakamatsu said before Sunday’s game against the Twins. “He was on crutches yesterday but it’s something we think should heal up fairly fast.”

Johnson fouled a pitch off his left foot on Friday night, but was able to finish the game. Quiroz started for Johnson on Saturday.

Stark went 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA over nine games with Seattle in his first major league action since 2004. The 34-year-old right-hander was out after undergoing Tommy John surgery twice.

“I’ve been grateful for every day that I got to walk into this clubhouse,” Stark said. “The fact of everything that I’d been through, I’ll walk out of here with my head held high.”

Rowland-Smith has been on the DL with triceps tendinitis. He was tagged for 12 runs and 14 hits over 4 2-3 innings in a rehab start with Tacoma on Friday night.

“We told (Rowland-Smith) yesterday that he’s going to go down and pitch some more,” Wakamatsu said. “We didn’t put a time frame on it.”

The team did not announce a starter for Thursday’s game against the Orioles.