ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays called up Richie Shaffer from Triple-A Durham and activated lefty reliever Enny Romero from the disabled list prior to Saturday's 8-2 win against the Rangers. Ryan Garton was optioned to Durham, and Nick Franklin was placed on the 7-day concussion DL.
This is Shaffer's second stint with Tampa Bay this season. He had two hits in six at-bats before being optioned on Aug. 11. With the Bulls this season, the corner infielder is hitting .223 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs.
"He swung the bat well in Toronto before we sent him down," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Liked his at-bats, and glad to see him back up here."
Romero was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 6 with a strained back. He made just one rehab appearance on Thursday. Romero has a 5.23 ERA in 37 appearances, but his role on the Rays was greatly diminished before he went on the DL. He posted a 1.93 ERA in the first month of the season, but had trouble with location since.
Romero said he changed his pitching motion while on the disabled list. Instead of bringing the ball down when he takes it out of his glove, it's going more to the side. He hopes that will lead to more strikes and better command. Romero said he could feel a difference in his rehab outing with Class A Advanced Charlotte. He had two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning.
"I know he took this time to fine-tune some mechanics," Cash said. "Get more consistency of getting the ball in the zone. And hopefully that transitions out on the mound."