Dillon called up after Bartlett placed on DL

What next?

When it comes to the Rays' roster these days, it's a question no one involved with the team wants to ask, for fear of the potential answer. Tampa Bay has put five players on the disabled list since Friday, with SS Jason Bartlett the most recent addition.

The Rays shelved the second-leading hitter in the majors (.373) with a sprained left ankle minutes before the first pitch of Tuesday's game, purchasing the contract of journeyman infielder Joe Dillon from Durham to replace him.

Just like that, the Rays have lost both members of a double-play combination that had done all they asked both offensively and defensively - both because of injuries suffered in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Marlins. 2B Akinori Iwamura is out for the season with a torn knee ligament, and the Rays transferred him to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Dillon.

While the Rays knew Iwamura's injury was serious when it happened, Bartlett stayed in Sunday's game after rolling over on his left ankle as he attempted to tag out Dan Uggla on a stolen base try. He said following the game that he didn't think it was serious, and the Rays repeated that assessment Monday.

But Bartlett's ankle remained "very sore," in Manager Joe Maddon's words, and head trainer Ron Porterfield wasn't pleased with the way it was responding to treatment. Already shorthanded with position players, the Rays decided they couldn't wait for Bartlett indefinitely and made the move.

Reid Brignac started at shortstop Tuesday for the second consecutive game, and he figures to share time there with Ben Zobrist. Those two will also join Willy Aybar in the second base rotation. Maddon said his primary concern in losing Bartlett and Iwamura is the drop-off on defense, though obviously their hitting and base running (22 stolen bases between them) will be missed as well.

"It's not the way you'd ever draw it up, but we went through a lot of adversity in the past, we went through that last year also," Maddon said. "Obviously, some people have a chance to step up and become players, and if we're able to hold the line while these other people are getting well, you get them back and they're well and they're fresh for the rest of the year."

Dillon, 33, was acquired from Oakland three weeks ago for Adam Kennedy and hit .262 in 12 games with Durham. He has 122 big-league games to his credit, with the Brewers the last two seasons and the Marlins in 2005. He hit the first of his two career homers off Tampa Bay's Jesus Colome on May 21, 2005.

Burrell pushed back

DH Pat Burrell was slated to go through an early hitting workout Tuesday as a possible final test before activating him from the DL, but the session was canceled because of stiffness in his neck.

"It's still not loosening up as we thought it would by this particular juncture, so we just have to push that back a couple days," Maddon said.

Burrell will try again, but not until Friday at the earliest.

Hometown hero?

RHP Andy Sonnanstine is hoping for a better showing tonight than he has produced to date against his hometown team. Sonnanstine grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio, about 40 miles south of Cleveland, but he is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts at Progressive Field.

"I should have a lot of family and friends in attendance, so I'm excited about it," Sonnanstine said. "I've kind of struggled here in the past and it'd really be nice to come out and do well in front of all the people that have watched me for so long."

Odds and ends

An MRI on LHP Brian Shouse's elbow confirmed the initial diagnosis of a muscle strain. He'll be out at least a few weeks. ... LHP Randy Choate got Luis Valbuena to ground out leading off the seventh Tuesday, his first big-league batter retired since Oct. 1, 2006. Choate faced three batters in 2007 and allowed hits to all of them, and a Brignac error allowed the only man he faced Monday to reach safely.