Miles activated and in Cubs' lineup

The Cubs activated infielder Aaron Miles off the disabled list Wednesday and sent reliever Jeff Stevens to Class AAA Iowa.

Miles, who started at shortstop in place of Ryan Theriot against the Cincinnati Reds, had been out since late June with a hyperextended right elbow.

During his pregame radio show on WGN, manager Lou Piniella was blunt in his assessment of Miles, whom the Cubs signed to a two-year, $4.9 million contract in the off-season after the St. Louis Cardinals chose not to offer him a contract.

"He's struggled; that's fair to say," Piniella told WGN. "But he's certainly capable of a lot more."

Miles entered the night batting .203 with a low on-base percentage of .240. In a rehab stint at Iowa, Miles was 19-for-75 (.253).

Stevens was sent down despite being a pleasant surprise. He went 0-0 with a 2.84 ERA and a WHIP (walks plus hits per 1 inning pitched) of 0.95 in five games.

The Cubs will have another roster move to make Friday, when catcher Geovany Soto is expected to come off the disabled list after his rehab stint at Class AA Tennessee.