ANGELS NOTEBOOK: COLON PLACED ON DL.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA  Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS - The Angels are now dealing with one of their worst fears: Bartolo Colon is on the 15-day disabled list.

The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and the results showed inflammation in his right shoulder.

Kevin Gregg was recalled to take Colon's spot on the roster and Hector Carrasco will assume Colon's start today against Minnesota.

The belief is that Colon will be fine when he returns to the rotation in two weeks, but he was supposed to be fine after he was injured in last season's playoffs. Colon had to leave Game 5 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees with a slight tear in his shoulder.

"It appears to be scarring related to the injury from last year ..." Angels general manager Bill Stoneman said. "The information I got says there's really nothing new. It showed some inflammation and the scarring but no new tears. I took that as good news."

Colon said he worked diligently this offseason to get himself past the shoulder injury in order to be ready for the inaugural World Baseball Classic this spring. The Angels had reservations about letting him pitch in such an intense environment but Colon's work this spring suggested he was ready.

He was impressive at the WBC (one earned run over 14innings in three starts), but struggled with the Angels early.

He gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings on Opening Day at Seattle, losing his command at the start of the sixth inning. On April 9 against the Yankees, he was torched for eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits in just two innings.

His last start looked much better, when he gave up one earned run in seven innings to Baltimore, but that's when his latest shoulder pain started, according to Stoneman. He was examined by Twins trainer John Steubs on Tuesday before getting the MRI.

"You never like to see a guy bothered by any discomfort, but on the other hand, we recognize that when you heal from a small tear or something like that, scar tissue builds up," Stoneman said.

--Draft issues: The order of selection was revealed for the June 6-7 first-year player draft, and the Angels will select 25thin the first round, a pick received in compensation for the Cleveland Indians signing free-agent Paul Byrd. The Angels lost the 26th pick to the Dodgers for signing Jeff Weaver.

The Angels also lost their second-round selection (70th overall) to the Washington Nationals when they signed Carrasco.