"Joakim Soria's continuing shoulder soreness prompted the Royals to say enough Sunday afternoon and place him on the 15-day disabled list.

The club then replaced Soria on the roster by recalling right-hander Luke Hochevar from Class AAA Omaha. Hochevar will start Tuesday night at Oakland, while veteran Sidney Ponson shifts from the rotation to the bullpen.

Manager Trey Hillman announced the moves before the Royals headed to the Bay Area after Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

"We've been going day to day (with Soria) as you well know," Hillman said. "It's a little bit of a strain in the rotator cuff that he's going through."

The decision came after Soria reported renewed soreness following his shaky one-inning performance Thursday in closing out a 3-1 victory over Seattle at Kauffman Stadium.

"It's not going away," he said, "so I have to take some time (off) so I'll be ready for the rest of the season. It's still too early in the season to be pitching like that. I think the better thing is to go on the DL, work hard on my shoulder and see what happens after 15 days."

The move is retroactive to Friday and means the club will be without its All-Star closer until at least May 23. Hillman said he will use a committee approach to close games in Soria's absence.

The Royals initially believed rest and a close monitoring of Soria's condition would alleviate the problem, which first surfaced in spring training. Club officials continue to say all exams show no structural damage.

"I tried to make sure I didn't do anything to increase the inflammation that he had," Hillman said. "It's one of those things where, at some point in time, you've got to decide whether (to take sufficient time) to get it calmed down."

Soria is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and seven saves this season in eight appearances."