MLB Daily Dish May 20: Michael Cuddyer, Jason Motte, Miguel Tejada, Carlos Marmol

Roster Moves

• The Minnesota Twins optioned Michael Tonkin to Triple-A Rochester and recalled Chris Herrmann from Triple-A, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.

Must Read

Alex Cobb set to return on Thursday

Jasper Scherer

A strong rehab start followed by a promising bullpen session has the right-hander on track to start Thursday against the A's.

Must Read

Alex Cobb set to return on Thursday

• The Tampa Bay Rays optioned Brandon Gomes to Triple-A Durham, per the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin.

• The St. Louis Cardinals assigned Sam Freedman to Triple-A Memphis, according to the MLB.com transaction page.

• The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned Brandon Cumpton to Triple-A Indianapolis following the team's doubleheader, while the New York Yankees did the same with right-hander Jose Ramirez, sending him back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Rumors

• Colorado Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer will return on Tuesday, according to Brent Briggeman of the Colorado Springs Gazette. Here's what our own Wick Terrell wrote about Cuddyer:

Michael Cuddyer went 0 for 1 with a walk in his first and only appearance with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, and he's set to be activated prior to the Rockies game again the San Francisco Giants in Denver on Tuesday. The Rockies have the day off on Monday.

Cuddyer was placed on the 15 day DL on April 22nd (retroactive to April 18th) due to a hamstring issue, and while it initially looked like the loss of their starting RF may be a costly one for Colorado, the Rockies ripped off an impressive 17-11 record without him.  The veteran was hitting .317/.373/.533 with 3 HR and 10 RBI through the first 16 games he'd played prior to his injury, and while there's nothing shameful about any of those numbers, the outfield conglomeration cobbled together by the Rockies in his absence has been every bit as effective, if not more so.

• St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jason Motte is expected to be activated on Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's Derrick Goold. Motte, who is just finishing a 14-month recovery from Tommy John surgery, should become an important part of the Cardinals bullpen, even though he won't return to his closer role, writes Tyler Drenon:

The 31-year-old will not return to his former role as the team's closer. Manager Mike Matheny is likely to bring Motte along slowly as far as high-leverage situations go.Trevor Rosenthal is expected to be the club's long-term closer despite the fact that he has a 4.98 ERA and has walked over 14 percent of the hitters he has faced.

While Motte isn't likely to save many games, he could be extremely helpful to a Cardinals bullpen that ranks 22nd in the league in pen ERA so far. In 260 career innings, Motte has posted a 2.87 ERA with 273 strikeouts and 77 walks. In 2012, his only full season as St. Louis' closer, he saved a league-leading 42 games.

• Tampa Bay Rays starter Alex Cobb will likely return to the starting rotation on Thursday, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Signings

• The Miami Marlins released right-hander Carlos Marmol and officially signed free agent shortstop Miguel Tejada to a minor league contract, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. The Marlins also signed free agent right-hander Alex Sanabia to a minor league contract.

• The Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent right-hander Shawn Camp to a minor league contract, as reported by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.

Trades

• The Houston Astros traded left-hander Raul Valdes to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later, according to a team announcement.

Miscellaneous

Rehab Assignments: Justin Ruggiano (Iowa)