Red Sox expected to activate Ranger Suarez on Sunday vs. Toronto

BOSTON -- Red Sox All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez is expected come off the injured list and start Sunday's series finale against Toronto, interim Boston manager Chad Tracy said Saturday.

Suarez, 30, was placed on the injured list on July 9 with a strained left groin. He missed the All-Star game.

"Ranger should be good to go for [Sunday]," Tracy said before the Red Sox faced the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Saturday. "We have him scheduled to start the game."

Suarez was throwing on the field about 2½ hours before Saturday's game. Tracy said the club will push lefty Payton Tolle from Sunday to start Monday's series opener in Sacramento against the Athletics.

Suarez is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 17 starts in his first season after signing a $130 million, five-year contract with the Red Sox in free agency.

Earlier this week, the team was planning for him to come off the IL and start Tuesday, but they pushed him back to possibly starting Wednesday's second game of a split doubleheader after that game got rained out. Then, he was under the weather and still sore, so they used lefty Eduardo Rivera in the nightcap that snapped their club-record-tying 15-game winning streak.