The D-backs cut their roster to 28 from 30 on Thursday by optioning reliever Yoan López to their alternate training site and designating for assignment infielder Ildemaro Vargas.

The moves leave the D-backs with 14 position players and 14 pitchers.

While it was initially planned for rosters to be cut down to 26 on Aug. 20, they will remain at 28 for the rest of the regular season and the taxi squad will be increased from three players to five.

López had a 4.15 ERA in five relief appearances this year after drawing praise during Summer Camp for the sharpness of his slider.

“With Yoan, I felt like we have seen him with better fastball command, we've seen him with better secondary stuff,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “And we just felt like getting some consistent reps, going down to the secondary site, that he would get back to that form that made him fairly dominant for parts of a couple seasons here.”

Vargas was the talk of Summer Camp for the power he showed at the plate during intrasquad games. In fact, he looked so good that Lovullo said he was going to have to find ways to get him into the starting lineup.

However, he hit .150 in 20 at-bats, and the D-backs wanted to give his at-bats to younger players like Daulton Varsho and Andy Young.

“With Ildemaro, once again, somebody that has had some big moments here for us,” Lovullo said. “We felt like we had players that could complement us in better ways inside of the system that we wanted to see play and give an opportunity to.”

Taxi squad
The D-backs' taxi squad for their upcoming road trip to San Diego and Colorado will include right-handed pitchers Jeremy Beasley and Riley Smith along with catcher John Hicks and outfielder Trayce Thompson.

Not what it appeared
Television cameras showed D-backs closer Archie Bradley making an inappropriate hand gesture in the Arizona bullpen as shortstop Nick Ahmed rounded the bases following a homer Wednesday night.

It was speculated on social media that Bradley’s gesture was directed towards the Astros, who have received scorn from many in baseball as a result of the sign-stealing scandal.

Bradley, though, was actually giving the gesture to Ahmed in what he described as a good-natured way.

“I wish I could sit here and like [bad mouth] the Astros and make up a story about how I hate them and that was what that was about,” Bradley said. “But it really wasn't. It's the first time we really scored runs this season, and being down in the bullpen, we kind of feel left out sometimes [because] we don't get to celebrate with our teammates. So kind of our thing is when the guy hits a double or it's an RBI, or especially a homer as they’re rounding second, we encourage them to point to us and give us, you know, a dap or some sort of celebration. And we had a bunch of players not acknowledging us during last night's game, and so simply that's all it was.”

While the gesture wasn’t directed towards the Astros, Bradley knows that it’s one he shouldn’t have been making because it could be caught on TV.

“I've definitely learned,” Bradley said. “Call it immature, stupid, I shouldn't do it. There’s kids watching things like that, especially now. So bonehead move on my part. I kind of made it just as a joke towards teammates -- you know we all have our little inside jokes we do -- and definitely in my position how long I've been doing this, I’ll wear it and take all the criticism for it.”