The Rays made a series of roster moves on Friday headlined by the reinstatement of reliever Jose Alvarado from the restricted list.
Alvarado has been away from the team since June 2, first placed on the family medical emergency list as he returned to his native Venezuela for an undisclosed reason, and then on June 9 moved to the restricted list, on which players are not paid. He returned to the U.S. last weekend, the team said, and has spent the last week working out at the spring facility in Port Charlotte.
Late inning relief has been an issue for the Rays, as Diego Castillo struggled repeatedly on the last road trip
Also Friday:
* C Nick Ciuffo, a 2013 first-round pick whose career has been derailed by injury, inconsistency and a drug suspension, was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster to reinstate Alvarado.