Today, Rays may be hard to recognize

ST. PETERSBURG -- Paul Hoover was headed through a tunnel to the players parking lot Tuesday afternoon when a car carrying reliever Jesus Colome pulled in. Colome asked where Hoover was going, and Hoover gave a quick slash to the throat with the back of his hand.

"Designated," Hoover said. It was the second move Colome learned about after his promotion from Triple-A Durham, but not the last.

In the busiest regular-season day of roster activity in team history, the Rays overturned 20 percent of their roster, recalling catcher Toby Hall, outfielder Dave McCarty and pitchers Colome and Travis Phelps from Durham and reinstating pitcher Jorge Sosa from the 15-day disabled list. To make room, the Rays placed outfielder Greg Vaughn on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 23 with a bruised shoulder, did the same with pitcher Ryan Rupe retroactive to June 20 with right knee tendinitis, designated Hoover for assignment and optioned relievers Victor Zambrano and Jason Jimenez to Durham.

"It was a good day, a necessary day," manager Hal McRae said.

Vaughn injured his troublesome right shoulder Saturday trying to catch a Larry Walker home run at Coors Field. Trainer Jamie Reed said Vaughn will receive ice treatment and be re-evaluated daily. Vaughn plans to see orthopedic specialist Lewis Yocum, who has operated on the shoulder three times, when the Rays travel to Anaheim from July 5-7.

McCarty, 32, was batting .325 at Durham. He will add depth at first, left and DH. The Rays signed McCarty on May 21 when he was released by the Royals.

Phelps and Colome will rejoin a bullpen that has a 5.40 ERA and betrayed McRae many times. That was underscored by two late blown leads in a three-game sweep at Colorado.

"We lost a couple of games in Colorado we could have won," McRae said. "The bullpen hasn't pitched well all year. There hasn't been any consistency down there. It's tough when you don't know who to use or when to use them. They have to give me some kind of direction."

Phelps was optioned to Durham on April 15 with a 9.00 ERA in three innings. He earned a call-up after going 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA and eight saves. His promotion gave the Rays a left-handed specialist too many, and Jimenez was squeezed out after pitching 62/3 innings over five games. That, Jimenez said, made the demotion more acceptable.

"I understand the move, I'm as fine with it as I can be," he said. "I guess I'm better with it because I know it wasn't my fault. I didn't let Hal down."

Zambrano had a 5.93 ERA in 41 innings, allowing 29 walks with 28 strikeouts.

"He needs to determine if he wants to pitch here, or down there," McRae said. "That's something that no one else can help him with."

Colome, in need of a breaking pitch and a pickoff move, was dispatched to Durham on May 15 after going 1-3 with an 11.57 ERA and 13 walks in 14 innings. He left the Bulls with a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings.

Hoover played in four games for the Rays, who have three days to trade or release him and must expose him to waivers before reassigning him. Hoover could refuse the assignment and opt for free agency.

"I knew I came up because Toby was struggling," Hoover said. "And I knew once Toby went down and started playing well he would be back up."

Rupe received a cortisone shot June 21 and will continue a strengthening program with hopes of throwing a bullpen session this weekend.

CHOICE: General manager Chuck LaMar said he had good reasons for promoting McCarty over over Carl Crawford, whom the organization touts as a rising star.

"(Crawford) hasn't even had a full season of Triple-A baseball and yet people want us to call him up and start the youth movement," LaMar said. "We want to call up as many players as we possibly can, but we're doing (an unjustice) to a player and the organization if we call them up too soon. Carl Crawford is a good player. He just needs to continue his development."

Crawford, 20, was batting .308 with 42 RBIs and 20 stolen bases at Durham before Tuesday and had just been named to the Triple-A All-Star team.

RAYS BITS: LaMar continued to deny reports by ESPN's Peter Gammons that the team was strapped for cash by describing hefty offers to the first- and third-round picks in the amateur draft, B.J. Upton and Hillsborough High's Elijah Dukes. "Millions of dollars was our first offer (to Upton)," LaMar said. "We're getting close to (Dukes). When we sign him, he will probably be the highest-paid third-round pick in the draft." ... John McHale, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of administration, attended. McHale left his post as Rays chief operating officer in March.