PHILADELPHIA -- Temperatures were expected to soar above 100 in Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, so Nelson Figueroa was not looking forward to starting a noon game there for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Luckily he got a call from pitching coach Rod Nichols late Wednesday night.

Figueroa had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley and rejoined the Phillies Thursday morning, replacing injured right-handed reliever Chad Durbin, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring suffered in the ninth inning on Wednesday night.

Unfortunately for Figueroa, temperatures aren't much cooler in Philadelphia. But he's glad to be back in a Major League clubhouse.

"It finally came time where they needed a righty and I'm excited to be here," Figueroa said.

It is Figueroa's second stint with the Phillies. The 35-year-old right-hander was signed as a free agent on April 13 and had a 4.82 ERA in nine games until May 31, when he was designated for assignment upon the return of closer Brad Lidge.

He cleared waivers and opted to return to the Minor Leagues, where he was 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts for the Iron Pigs.

"Going through each game with them helped me refocus and make sure I was on top of my game," Figueroa said. "It was just one of those situations where I got the opportunity to pitch."

Figueroa is a long reliever who can spot start -- a role the Phillies need with the loss of Durbin, who can stretch his appearances.

"Right now, we need some depth with our pitching," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said after Wednesday's game. "We're searching for length in the bullpen."

Figueroa said he thought about declining the option to stay in the Phillies' organization and had the option to become a free agent. He said he had heard rumors of Arizona being interested, but they then traded for starter Dontrelle Willis. Figueroa decided to take his chances and hope the Phillies would call on him again.

"The grass isn't always greener," Figueroa said. "If somebody believes that you can help out their big league ballclub, I felt like I wanted to take a chance. It's hard to just turn your back on an organization that's given you a chance."

Ruiz feeling better after concussion

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz was in the clubhouse before Thursday's game and said he was feeling better after suffering a mild concussion on Friday.

Ruiz was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday after undergoing tests all weekend. He was hit in the back of the head by a broken bat by the Twins' Jason Kubel.

Ruiz said he still has some headaches behind his right ear where he was hit, but otherwise was in good spirits and said he was feeling better each day.

He doesn't remember much about the incident.

"The only thing I remember is the noise, the noise when the bat hit the helmet," Ruiz said. "I was dizzy right after that and I wanted to throw up. I felt nervous."

Impact tests revealed a mild concussion. The Phillies opted to play it cautiously with Ruiz, who has also had various injuries to his shoulder, knee and ankle this season.

Zagurski successful in first '10 appearance

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies left-handed reliever Mike Zagurski made his first appearance in the Major Leagues since 2007 on Wednesday night, throwing 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball with one walk and one strikeout.

"Command wasn't great," Zagurski said. "It wasn't quite where I wanted to be command-wise, but I got through it, so that was a good thing."

Zagurski, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, has battled through a hamstring injury and Tommy John surgery since he last pitched for the Phillies, in August 2007. The 26-year-old admitted he had some adrenaline pumping when he faced his first batter, pinch-hitter Travis Hafner.

"I felt OK, actually," Zagurski said. "I'm sure it was more than pitching a Triple-A game, or something, but it was good to get that first guy, I guess."

His fastball registered at 94 mph and he struck out Trevor Crowe with a high fastball to end the sixth.

"Now I can kind of settle in and hopefully continue to get better," Zagurski said.

Madson feels good after bullpen session

PHILADELPHIA -- Injured Phillies reliever Ryan Madson threw a bullpen session on Thursday and will head down to Clearwater, Fla., to begin a rehab assignment for his surgically-repaired right big toe. He is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Class A Clearwater.

Madson said the rehab process so far has gone better than expected and he was anxious about getting back on the mound.

"I thought I'd have something but I never felt anything," Madson said. "I didn't lose upper body strength. I feel great."

While he couldn't give an exact timetable for how many rehab appearances he is expected to make, Madson said he is optimistic about returning before the All-Star break. He is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list on June 28.

"I'm just glad everything feels good," Madson said.

Phillies reach agreement with Rupp

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have reached a contract agreement with Cameron Rupp, their third-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Rupp, who is a catcher from the University of Texas, hit .304 with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs in 63 games this season for the Longhorns. He also had a .390 on-base percentage and a .483 slugging percentage.

Worth noting

Before Wednesday's walk-off, Jimmy Rollins' 148 career home runs were the second most among active players who had never hit a game-ending home run during the regular season, behind the Yankees' Mark Teixeira (254), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Former Philadelphia 76ers star and NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone threw out the first pitch before Thursday's game.