BALTIMORE -- The Tampa Bay Rays made room for center fielder B.J. Upton to rejoin the team by optioning outfielder Matt Joyce to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.
Upton is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list for Monday's home opener against the New York Yankees. He was placed on the DL on April 5, retroactive to March 27, after undergoing offseason surgery on his left shoulder.
After Upton played nine innings for Class A Charlotte on Saturday, Rays manager Joe Maddon received news that the outfielder was ready to play.
"[We got] a good report. He hit the ball well, he stole a couple of bases," Maddon said. "He's feeling great right now."
Upton played in 145 games last year and finished second in the AL in stolen bases. In the playoffs, he tied an AL record with seven homers in the postseason.
"He's a big part of our success here," Maddon said. "The power and the speed and the baserunning, he brings a lot to our club, obviously."
Joyce appeared in three games. His lone hit in 10 at-bats was a home run.