The Devil Rays turned over 20% of their roster on Tuesday. Tampa Bay placed Ryan Rupe and Greg Vaughn on the disabled list, designated Paul Hoover for assignment, and demoted Jason Jimenez and Victor Zambrano. In order to replace those players on the roster, the team called up Toby Hall, David McCarty, Jesus Colome, and Travis Phelps, while activating Jorge Sosa from the DL.

Rupe is suffering from patella tendinitis in his right knee. He missed his last start due to soreness and inflammation in the knee and was likely to miss his next as well, so the Devil Rays wanted clear room for a spot starter. Rupe will be eligible to rejoin the team July 5th because the move was retroactive to June 19th. Tampa currently expects him to return at that time, as they believe he merely needs time to rest and don't plan to send him on a rehab assignment before reactivating him.

Vaughn suffered a shoulder injury when he ran into the outfield wall in the 5th inning of the Devil Rays' June 22nd game in Coors. His injury appears to only be a bad bruise, though he intends to seek a second opinion. Provided nothing further is discovered, he should be able to rejoin the team when he's eligible to leave the disabled list. He needs to rest the shoulder and Tampa wants the extra bat on the bench for the end of interleague play.

The Devil Rays signed McCarty to a minor league deal as AAA injury insurance, and he fills Vaughn's roster spot and will pick up some playing time off the bench. Jason Conti will likely receive the majority of the at-bats opened up by Vaughn's DL trip. Conti's problematic plate discipline continues to stand in the way of his development.

Hall spent a little less than a month in AAA, but during that time the Devil Rays believe he demonstrated that he's outgrown the level and needs to return to the majors. While at AAA Durham, he hit .348 with a .382 OBP and .457 SLG in 92 AB on 32 H, 4 2B, and 2 HR with a 3:10 BB:K. The main thing I see Hall bringing out of his trip to the minors is a confidence he lacked coming out of Spring Training.

I would have preferred he reassert the plate discipline he demonstrated at AAA last year, but the added confidence should help him pick up his game in the majors. Tampa currently plans to split time behind the plate fairly equally between Hall and John Flaherty. Hall should continue to show improvement over the next few years as he grows more comfortable with the level of competition in the majors.

Tampa designated Hoover for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. During his time with the big league club, he went 2 for 16 with a 0:5 BB:K. If he passes through waivers and stays with the Devil Rays' organization, he should return to AAA as injury insurance.

Sosa went on the disabled list in late May with a strained right shoulder. His shoulder had improved and he was nearing the end of his minor league rehab assignment, but the Devil Rays activated him early to fill Rupe's place in the rotation. Tampa plans to use him for two starts while Rupe is on the DL. He made one of those starts on Tuesday against Toronto in a game Tampa eventually lost 20-11, allowing 4 H in 3 IP with a 4:3 K:BB.

Milwaukee selected the 24-year-old former-outfielder-turned-pitcher in this winter's Rule 5 draft a year after the Mariners took him from the Rockies in the minor league portion of the 2000 Rule 5 draft. However, Tampa claimed him off waivers from the Brewers before the end of Spring Training. He split his first year as a pitcher in 2001 between Everett in the Short-Season A- Northwest League and A Wisconsin in the Midwest League. Sosa has demonstrated good dominance, but as you can expect still needs to work on his control. Although he worked as a reliever during the early portion of the season, Tampa wants to see how he fairs as a starter in Rupe's absence. I expect Sosa to return to the minors next season before he has a good chance of sticking in the big leagues. Tampa's also likely making a mistake in starting Sosa considering his inexperience; Travis Harper deserves another chance in their rotation.

When they placed Sosa on the DL at the end of May, the team activated lefty Wilson Alvarez from the disabled list. Alvarez appears recovered from his rib strain and has rejoined the Tampa rotation.

As for the bullpen changes, Jason Jimenez replaced Lee Gardner on the roster in early June. Gardner passed through waivers and reported to AAA. In his 6.2 IP, Jimenez allowed 9 H and 2 HR with a 5:1 K:BB. The 26-year-old lefty reliever split the last two seasons between AA Orlando in the Southern League and AAA Durham in the International League. He possesses good dominance but his control has needed improvement in the past. Jimenez has improved his control this year at AAA, so he really should be ready for a position as a left-handed reliever in someone's pen next season. Tampa didn't need Jimenez in the pen now as they have lefties Doug Creek and Steve Kent.

Considered a probable closer-in-waiting before the season, Zambrano has struggled with his control this season, posting a 28:29 K:BB in 41 IP with 37 H and 6 HR allowed. Hopefully, he'll be able to pull himself together after a stint in AAA.

Colome struggled with his control and an excessive number of hits allowed during earlier time with the Devil Rays. In 21 IP at AAA, he allowed 16 H and 1 HR with a 22:11 K:BB. I still think he could use further time in the minors, but he likely benefited from this recent stay.

I'm not at all sure why Tampa demoted Phelps. He pitched well for them in the bullpen last season and should have continued to do so this year. During his demotion, he compiled a 34:14 K:BB in 31 IP with 29 H and 2 HR allowed. Phelps should be a real asset to the Rays' pen and could potentially see save opportunities in the very near future.