Moore placed on DL, to go see Dr. Andrews

KANSAS CITY -- Matt Moore remains cautiously optimistic that there is nothing seriously wrong with his left elbow, but he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.

Left-hander Jeff Beliveau was recalled to take Moore's roster spot.

Moore was to see Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon for a more thorough evaluation after Moore's MRI exam came back inconclusive.

"As is standard practice for us when a pitcher leaves a game with an arm injury, much more often than not they go on the disabled list," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "Obviously, the bare minimum, he'll be out 15 days. We don't know much beyond that, and we should know more in the next couple of days."

On Tuesday morning, Moore woke up with minimal to no swelling in his left elbow before heading to the hospital at the University of Kansas for his MRI exam. "The fact that he feels good right now is obviously a good sign," Friedman said. "Symptoms play into diagnosis a lot, so the fact that he feels good is a good thing."

Moore said he was looking forward to having a concrete interpretation of the problem.

"Yeah, if there is something we can end the day on and have some conclusive evidence of, you know, 'This is what we're going to do; this is what the damage is,'" Moore said. "I think it will be a lot better for everybody in regards to our plans for the season."

Moore started for the Rays on Monday night and seemed to be finding a groove when he entered the fifth inning. With one out, he grimaced after throwing a changeup to Nori Aoki that made the count 2-2. Moore then wiggled his left arm in obvious discomfort before a mound conference that included Rays manager Joe Maddon and assistant athletic trainer Paul Harker. Shortly thereafter he left the game.

Friedman allowed that he did not think "anything is ruled out" as far as what would happen next with Moore.

"But the fact that he feels good is a good sign," Friedman said. "And until we go through a much more thorough exam ... we'll know more after he goes to see Dr. Andrews."

Though Moore expressed optimism, he was aware that surgery could be an option.

"I don't think necessarily the surgery part concerns me or the rehabilitation part," Moore said. "It's the preparation that went into this season. For the guys in the locker room and everybody that goes into this particular organization, a lot of high hopes and expectations that we prepared for this season, and I very much still want to be a part of it, and I still have not ruled out any part of that."

Moore's left elbow prompted a stint on the DL in 2013 that cost him 31 games. Last season's injury came after Moore threw a changeup, too, prompting questions of whether he might consider altering his mechanics on the pitch.

"There's some room for discussion, as far as if that pitch is going to evolve into a different grip," Moore said, adding that "this could be a learning lesson. Maybe learning from this particular grip. Maybe this grip is fine. Maybe it's something I'm doing out front with it. Maybe getting a little too aggressive. But it just kind of came out of nowhere."

Moore noted that he threw his changeup pain-free throughout Spring Training.

"So it is a mystery at this point, as far as whether or not it is the grip," Moore sad. "But I definitely need a changeup, so it would just be a different grip."