The Oakland Athletics reinstated right-handed reliever Ryan Dull from the disabled list Thursday before the team's afternoon game with the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.Right-handed reliever John Axford was designated for assignment as part of a series of moves.The Athletics put catcher Josh Phegley on the disabled list because of a strained left oblique and selected catcher Ryan Lavarnway from Triple-A Nashville.Dull was put on the disabled list with a strained right knee on May 20. He was 2-2 with a 6.32 ERA in 18 games before going on the disabled list.The 27-year-old limited the opposition to a .233 batting average in those games but allowed nine walks in 15 2/3 innings while striking out 18.Dull began a rehabilitation assignment with the Athletics' affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League on July 19 and was transferred to Triple-A Nashville two days later. He made three relief appearances overall and did not allow a run in 3 2/3 innings.Lavarnway has appeared in one game with Oakland this year, going 0-for-2 on July 7 while Phegley was on paternity leave.Lavarnway was selected on July 5 and designated for assignment three days later before being assigned outright to Nashville on July 14. He is hitting .262 with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 67 games with the Sounds.Axford was on the Opening Day roster but did not appear in a game before he was placed on the 10-day DL retroactive to April 2 because of a strained right shoulder.He was reinstated on May 20 and went 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in 22 relief appearances. Axford walked 17 batters in 21 innings while striking out 21. He is 34-33 with 144 saves and a 3.71 ERA in 493 career appearances in nine seasons with Milwaukee (2009-13), St. Louis (2013), Cleveland (2014), Pittsburgh (2014), Colorado (2015) and Oakland (2016-17).Phegley has appeared in 47 games with the A's this year, including 37 starts at catcher. He is hitting .169 over his past 28 contests after batting .250 over his first 19 games.He was scratched from the lineup before the game Wednesday with tightness in the oblique.