Rays Place Jeremy Hellickson on DL; Call Up Chris Archer

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue, reports Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Tampa Bay will recall righty-hander Chris Archer before tonight’s game, as the 23-year-old will make his major league debut this evening against the Washington Nationals.

Hellickson told reporters that he isn’t experiencing any shoulder problems; he’s just been a little weak. X-rays have been taken and the 25-year-old said there is no pain or soreness involved.

According to Rays manager Joe Maddon, the plan is for Archer to replace Hellickson in Tampa Bay’s rotation for two starts to allow the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year time to rest his shoulder.

While he hasn’t been quite as dominant as his rookie campaign, Hellickson has turned in another impressive year so far for the Rays. Over his 13 starts spanning 78 1/3 innings, Hellickson has maintained an ERA and WHIP of 3.45 and 1.340 with 6.0 SO/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Archer entered the season considered one of the top 100 prospects in the game by Baseball America. The right-hander has spent the season pitching for the Rays Triple-A affiliate, where he has posted an ERA and WHIP of 4.81 and 1.435 with 10.6 SO/9 and 5.3 BB/9.