Rays place RHP Zack Littell (shoulder) on 15-day injured list

The Tampa Bay Rays placed right-hander Zack Littell on the 15-day injured list Saturday with right shoulder fatigue.

The move was retroactive to Thursday. In a corresponding move, the Rays recalled left-hander Tyler Alexander from Triple-A Durham.

Littell, 28, is in his first season as a full-time starter in the major leagues. He is 5-8 with a 3.89 ERA across 129⅔ innings this season, with 26 walks, 116 strikeouts and an American League-high 144 hits allowed through Friday.

The Rays, considering the workload, pulled Littell from his last start after 68 pitches on Wednesday against the visiting Houston Astros . Littell allowed one hit (a home run), one run and two walks while fanning three in five innings. He did not figure into the decision in the Astros' 2-1, 10-inning victory.

"I mean, we all know where he is at [in terms of] an innings standpoint this year," manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday night.

Littell has a career 21-19 record with three saves and a 4.02 ERA in 389⅓ innings over 197 games (42 starts) in parts of seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2018-20), San Francisco Giants (2021-22), Boston Red Sox (2023) and Rays (2023-present).

Alexander, 30, is 5-3 with a 5.20 ERA, 16 walks and 63 strikeouts in 71 innings over 15 games (six starts) for Tampa Bay this season. He pitched the previous five seasons for the Detroit Tigers , going 11-23 with a 4.38 ERA, 74 walks and 273 strikeouts in 341⅓ innings over 120 games (43 starts).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.