Padres Activate Bard

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The San Diego Padres activated catcher Josh Bard from the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 30-year-old Bard had been on the DL with a sprained left ankle since May 22, when he attempted to block the plate against St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols on May 21.

Bard played in nine rehab games between Class A Lake Elsinore and Class AAA Portland, hitting .125 (3-for-24) with one home run. Prior to the injury, Bard was hitting .200 (26-for-130) with seven RBI in 38 games.

The Padres also recalled lefthander Justin Hampson from Portland and optioned catcher Luke Carlin and lefthander Joe Thatcher to the Beavers. Hampson went 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in 10 games before being optioned to Portland on June 27. Carlin hit .188 (11-for-80) with two RBI in 30 games with San Diego, while Thatcher went 0-4 with a 8.42 ERA in 25 appearances.