2011 RAYS PLACE LONGORIA ON 15-DAY DISABLED LIST

For Immediate Release courtsey of the Tampa Bay Rays
April 3, 2011
SELECT LOPEZ FROM DURHAM   ST. PETERSBURG, FL—The Tampa Bay Rays have placed third baseman Evan Longoria on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.  To take his place on the active roster, infielder Felipe Lopez was selected from Durham (AAA) and will be in uniform for today’s game against Baltimore.   Longoria, 25, started the first two games of the season for the Rays and was 0-for-5 with a walk before being removed from yesterday’s game after the fifth inning.   Lopez, 30, was in minor league camp after being reassigned to Triple-A Durham in the last week of spring training. He batted .333 (13-for-39) with eight walks and five RBI as a non-roster invite to major league camp. The switch-hitter has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays (2001-02), Cincinnati Reds (2003-06), Washington Nationals (2006-08), St. Louis Cardinals (2008, 2010), Arizona Diamondbacks (2009), Milwaukee Brewers (2009) and Boston Red Sox (2010).  Lopez owns a career .266 batting average with 88 home runs and 123 stolen bases.  In 2005 with Cincinnati, he was named a National League All-Star and won a National League Silver Slugger Award at shortstop.  He originally signed with the Rays on February 2.   A corresponding move for the 40-man roster will be announced at a later time.   –RAYS–