It has been 18 games since Brad Lidge has played a game with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Monday, prior to the commencement of the game against Atlanta, the Phillies activated the right-handed closer from the disabled list where he was placed after experiencing stiffness in his elbow.

At the beginning of this year, in January, Lidge’s elbow was operated on.  He made an appearance in a game on April 30, but his was still experiencing some stiffness in his elbow.  He underwent an MRI early in May that revealed that there no current structural damage but he needed to rest in order to fully recuperate and to do so properly.

However although no structural damage was detected, Lidge did have inflammation within his elbow, which is one reason that he needed the rest to recuperate.  Lidge has only participated in four games this MLB season with the Phillies where he allowed a single run in 3 1/3 innings with one save and has a posted 2.70 ERA.

In order for Lidge to have room on the 25-man Phillies’ roster, Philadelphia chose to designate Nelson Figueroa for assignment.  Figueroa has appeared in nine games, including one start, and has an ERA of 4.82 and is 1-1 in 18 2/3 innings.  When he found out he was being designated for assignment due to the return of Lidge, he was shocked and disappointed, but understanding.  72 hours left for the fate of Figueroa to be decided – will anyone snatch him?

As for the Atlanta game, Charlie Manual, manger of the Philadelphia Phillies, said that Jose Contreras would probably be the set-up man.  Contreras has a 0.59 ERA for this season.  He was able to get two strikeouts and although he did allow two hits during the last inning, he kept the Marlins from scoring in Friday’s game.

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