Price gets The Call

With staff ace Scott Kazmir on the disabled list, the Tampa Bay Rays called up Durham Bulls pitcher David Price Monday.

The lefty pitcher, 23, will start today against the Cleveland Indians.

Price is the top pitching prospect in the country but went 1-4 with a 3.93 ERA in eight starts with Durham this season. But on May 17, he didn’t allow a hit in five innings. In 34 1/3 innings, he struck out 35, walked 18 and allowed 28 hits.

It sounds like the Rays are serious about keeping him in the majors, according to an article by St. Pete Times Rays beat writer Marc Topkin.

Price, out of Vanderbilt, was the first overall pick in 2007 and he started in Advanced-A Vero Beach last season before going to Double-A Montgomery. His numbers there were stellar, but they took a hit when he was promoted to Durham in August.

That didn’t stop the Rays from calling him up in September and he famously got the final four outs in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox for his first professional save.

But Price, with an upper-90s fastball, has a future as a starting pitcher, and when the Rays sent him down to start the season, he wasn’t overly pleased about it, even if he took it in stride publicly.

The Rays wanted him to have more command over his pitches and the May 17 outing would suggest he has. And the Rays are inserting him in Kazmir's spot in the rotation.

In other roster moves affecting the Bulls, the Rays assigned infielder Matt Hall to Durham from Charlotte and signed Henry Mateo on Sunday, putting the Bulls roster at 24.