D-backs place Saltalamacchia on 15-day DL
Move makes room for outfielder Inciarte to join club
PHOENIX -- The D-backs placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the 15-day disabled list with a strain on the left side of his neck on Friday.
Saltalamacchia's move to the DL cleared a roster spot on the D-backs' 25-man roster for outfielder Ender Inciarte, who was activated on Friday after spending a month on the DL with a strained right hamstring.
Saltalamacchia first felt stiffness in his neck while swinging a bat during the team's two-game series in Texas last week. He then did not start during the three-game series against the Mets last weekend before the All-Star break.
"It just progressively got a little bit worse. It feels OK right now," Saltalamacchia said. "It's definitely nothing too major."
The move is retroactive to July 12. Saltalamacchia is batting .213 with a homer and four RBIs in 20 games with the D-backs this season.
Inciarte was not in the lineup against the Giants on Friday night, but D-backs manager Chip Hale said he plans on having the outfielder make his first start since the injury on Saturday.
Worth noting
• Starter Archie Bradley (right shoulder) has resumed playing catch as he begins his return from injury. Bradley visited with team doctor Gary Waslewski on Friday for a final check-up before continuing his progression, which will include building up his arm strength until he's ready to throw from a mound.
"All of it kind of goes off my shoulder, how it feels," Bradley said. "Obviously, we're going to take things a little slower than I think we'd all like, but it's just a precaution to make sure it is healed."
• Starter Jeremy Hellickson (blister) is expected to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday against the Marlins after leaving his last start against Texas on July 8 with a blister on his right thumb.
Hellickson's start was pushed back giving him extra time to heal, but Hale said it's not 100 percent that the right-hander will be ready to start. The D-backs manager said a spot start by long reliever Josh Collmenter could be a possibility if that happens.