Osuna Returns from DL

Continuing the Dodger bullpen shuffle, pitcher Antonio Osuna was activated from the disabled list on Monday and pitcher Jeff Kubenka was optioned to triple-A Albuquerque.

Osuna has been on the disabled list since April 21 (retroactive to April 18) because of a bone spur in his throwing elbow. Manager Davey Johnson plans to use the right-hander behind setup man Alan Mills, and ahead of rookie right-hander Jamie Arnold.

Kubenka struggled during his brief stint with the Dodgers. The left-hander had a 20.25 earned-run average after getting pounded for five hits and six runs in only one-third of an inning in Sunday’s 12-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“He is an integral part of my club,” Johnson said of Osuna, whose fastball was clocked at 93 mph last season. “And I need all the parts of my club to be OK.”

But Johnson acknowledged he must handle Osuna carefully because he is pitching with the bone spur. Others have pitched effectively with Osuna’s problem, and Johnson said Osuna is throwing without pain.

“It all depends on how much I use him and how much time he needs off in between,” Johnson said. “But I like to give my guys days off anyway.”

Team physician Frank Jobe, a pioneer in sports medicine, has recommended that the right-hander have elbow surgery to correct the problem.

But after undergoing surgery on his elbow in September, Osuna did not want to go through another procedure so soon.

Osuna began the season on the disabled list because of setbacks in his rehabilitation during spring training. He was sidelined again after throwing a scoreless inning in a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on April 17.

He told team officials he wanted to work through the pain, making three appearances at Class-A San Bernardino, the last coming Friday.

Osuna, who does not have a guaranteed contract for next season, experienced pain and swelling in his elbow after his last outing.

But the elbow improved over the weekend and was cleared to be reinstated after being examined Monday by team medical personnel.

*

Instructed to cut payroll, Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone traded pitchers Dave Mlicki and Mel Rojas to the Detroit Tigers on April 16.

That trade enabled the Dodgers to reduce their payroll and--more importantly--their luxury tax payment at season’s end.

Based on the luxury-tax formula, the Dodgers faced having to pay $4.42 million in tax based on a $95 million payroll, factoring in benefits. By trading Mlicki and Rojas, they’re now facing a tax payment of $3.06 million based on their current payroll of $91 million.

That’s baseball.

TODAY

DODGERS’ ISMAEL VALDES (3-0, 3.53 ERA)

vs.

EXPOS’ CARL PAVANO (0-4, 7.83 ERA)

Olympic Stadium, 4 PDT

TV--Fox Sports West 2. Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update-- Valdes is 4-3 with a 2.03 earned-run average in 10 career appearances against the Expos. Pavano has been reluctant to challenge batters and been unable to hold leads, and if this continues, he may soon find himself at triple-A Ottawa.