Wada to DL; Ramirez activated, added to 'pen

ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs placed Tsuyoshi Wada on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, retroactive to June 23, with left deltoid inflammation, and activated right-handed reliever Neil Ramirez from the DL.

Ramirez has been sidelined since April 16 with right shoulder inflammation.

"I'm back to where I need to be," said Ramirez, who made three rehab appearances. "I think the biggest thing was seeing how I recover. I'm fine."

The rehab did take longer than Ramirez anticipated.

"I felt really good initially, and then once we started throwing again, it kind of crept back in, so we had to pump the brakes a little, and that's why it took a little longer," he said, adding that there were some strength issues that needed to be addressed.

"We did it the right way, so I'm back to being where I need to be," he said.

Manager Joe Maddon said he'll be careful with the right-hander, who compiled a 1.44 ERA in 50 games last season. Ramirez was expected to be a key piece of the Cubs' bullpen this year but was sidelined with the shoulder injury after five April outings.

Wada came out of his last start after two innings with cramping in his left shoulder.

"He's better, but not where he needs to be," Maddon said of the lefty. "We'll give him a little bit more time. We don't want to run him out there unless he's feeling 100 percent."

Donn Roach was promoted from Triple-A Iowa to start Saturday in Wada's spot, and he will stay with the big league club. Roach could be used in relief during the Cubs' upcoming series against the Mets. With an off-day Monday, the Cubs don't need a fifth starter until next Saturday.

Roach gave up four runs over 3 1/3 innings against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Saturday in his second career big league start.

"He's high-contact, high-ground ball, low swing-and-miss, thus the ball is going to be in play," Maddon said of the right-hander.

• The Cubs will celebrate the Fourth of July next weekend at Wrigley Field with the venue's first postgame fireworks on Saturday. The pyrotechnics will be lit 100 years to the date after the Chicago Whales held an evening of entertainment at then-Weeghman Park in 1915. The fireworks will be launched from various points inside the ballpark.

On Friday, the Cubs will open a new outdoor concession area behind the center-field scoreboard. Broadcasters Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies will conduct their television broadcast from the new left-field porch in the bleachers on Friday, as well.