Dull to return Thursday

TORONTO — Oakland’s bullpen, once a stable and experienced unit, is now a little on the mix-and-match side after Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson were dealt to Washington this month.

One regular will return to the fold Thursday, when Ryan Dull comes off the disabled list after missing more than two months with a right knee strain. Dull, who had a strong first half last season, was 2-2 with a 6.32 ERA when he went on the DL, but batters were hitting .233 against him, including .225 by right-handers.

“This is guy who at times last year was probably our most effective reliever, so when you’re down a couple of guys like we are, he will be an important cog,” manager Bob Melvin said.

The A’s have several relievers who could come off the roster when Dull returns, including Josh Smith, Frankie Montas or Simon Castro.

But there is another possibility, too: John Axford, who is in the second year of a two-year deal with the A’s, has struggled mightily and he could be designated for assignment Thursday. Axford has a 6.43 ERA after 22 appearances, with 17 walks in 21 innings, and the A’s have shown they are not shy about parting with their older players now that they are in a full rebuild.

Axford said that his erratic season has been tough to figure out. “It’s just been all up and down,” he said. “There are things I’m working on, some of it because I was not having success early. I feel like maybe I changed something then, and now I’m trying to get back to where I was.”

Phegley to DL? Josh Phegley was a late scratch with oblique tightness he first experienced during batting practice. He stopped four swings in and has received treatment, but, Phegley said, “It’s just continued to get worse doing absolutely nothing.”

That strongly suggests that Phegley will be a candidate for the disabled list. Ryan Lavarnway, who was not in Triple-A Nashville’s lineup Wednesday, is likely to be recalled.

“It’s pretty sore,” Phegley said. “Maybe that soreness is just settling in . ... I’ve never had any issue like this before, so it’s kind of mind-boggling for me to figure out right now.”