Weaver tests his arm in simulated game

PHOENIX -- Dressed in full uniform, Arizona right-hander Luke Weaver threw a 21-pitch simulated game Monday morning at Chase Field before the D-backs’ game against the Padres.

“It felt great,” Weaver said. “As a competitor, I think you want to see a perfect 20-pitch dotted everywhere, and things were working good, but it was a first tester. I think the adrenaline was pumping, there was a lot of excitement, some anxiousness. But as far as the arm and the body and the way it came out, I couldn’t be happier.”

Weaver, who has been out since May with a mild right flexor pronator strain and a mild right UCL sprain, could return to action soon. The D-backs’ Triple-A Reno team wrapped up its season Monday, but Double-A Jackson is in the Southern League playoffs if the team wants to give Weaver a game-action rehab appearance.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo watched Weaver’s session from behind a screen set up behind home plate and liked what he saw.

“The ball had life,” Lovullo said. “He felt very good. It’s extremely encouraging news. We’ll see how he feels coming out of that to determine what the next steps are.”

Weaver would like to start games when he returns but would not pitch deep into a game, so there would need to be another pitcher who would piggyback into the game.

Sherfy returns

Right-hander Jimmy Sherfy was recalled from Reno on Monday to provide some depth in the bullpen. This will be his fourth stint with the D-backs this year.

Dating back to last season, 10 of Sherfy’s last 11 Major League outings have been scoreless.

Sherfy’s promotion comes on the heels of the D-backs promoting six players from Reno on Sunday, the first day of roster expansion.

For a team like the D-backs, who are battling for a postseason spot, it’s a balancing act between having enough players to help down the stretch without having too many, which can disrupt the balance in the clubhouse.

“I want to make sure the guys that are here are going to play,” Lovullo said. “I want to make sure there’s a need for each body and that we’re not wasting time. That’s the part of it that I walk through with the front office. I explain what some of the needs were, some of the things that I might do. The pitching, you always need to be fortified.”