Matt Moore is headed to the 15-day disabled list.
The Tampa Bay Rays left-hander was placed on the DL on Tuesday, less than a day after he left in the fifth inning of the Kansas City Royals' 4-2 victory Monday night at Kauffman Stadium with elbow soreness. Left-hander Jeff Beliveau was promoted from Triple-A Durham.
Moore, who missed 31 games last year with elbow problems, threw 78 pitches in 4 1/3 innings Monday before he grimaced after delivering a changeup to Norichika Aoki. X-rays taken Monday showed no damage. An MRI was done Tuesday, and Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive vice president of baseball operations, said the results were inconclusive. Friedman said Moore will see Dr. James Andrews for more evaluation.
"Maybe it's a hyperextension, it's kind of like a bruise," Moore told reporters Monday. "It's hard to find that uncomfortable feeling. ... It really came out of nowhere. There was no particular pain."
Moore, 24, is a career 29-17 with a 3.53 ERA and 339 strikeouts in 63 appearances since making his major league debut in 2011. He earned his first All-Star Game berth last season, a year in which he finished 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 27 appearances.
Beliveau, 27, has a career 4.42 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings since making his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2012. He's a career 23-17 with a 2.78 ERA and 490 strikeouts in six minor league seasons.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
