The Cincinnati Reds activated catcher Jason LaRue off the bereavement list on Wednesday. LaRue, who was in Crockett, Texas, for the funeral of his grandfather, has five home runs and 23 RBI in 44 games with an average of .238 this season. LaRue hit 14 home runs last season and set career highs in batting average (.251), hits (98), doubles (24) and RBI (55). He also set a franchise record by being hit by a pitch 24 times. Catcher Dane Sardinha, who was recalled earlier in the week, was optioned back to Louisville of the International League to make room on the roster for LaRue. Sardinha, a right-handed hitter, got his first major league start on Tuesday night against the Red Sox. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in a 7-0 loss. In other news, the Reds will be without first baseman Sean Casey on Wednesday and Thursday because of a death in the family.