ST. PETERSBURG -- Highly-touted third baseman B.J. Upton was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Monday to replace the injured Ty Wigginton.

Also making the trip from Durham to St. Petersburg is shortstop Ben Zobrist, who will become the Rays' shortstop in the aftermath of Monday's trade that sent shortstop Julio Lugo to the Dodgers.

Wigginton has a fractured bone in his left hand and is expected to be out four to six weeks, which facilitated the move to bring up Upton.

Upton, who has struggled at shortstop, recently moved to third base for the Bulls in what has been classified as a "temporary" move with the idea that he would be called up to fill the void created by the July 12 trade of Aubrey Huff to the Astros.

Concerns about bringing up Upton arose on Friday in the wake of a USA Today story in which Upton and fellow Durham players Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes griped about not yet being brought up to the Major Leagues. A photo showing Upton scowling accompanied the story.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said he spoke bluntly with Upton, and Upton took responsibility for his actions. Maddon left the conversation with a good vibe about Upton, noting that he does not feel he will be a problem.

"I felt much better after I had a chance to talk to him," Maddon said.

Upton, 21, batted .269 with 18 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, a team-high 65 walks and 41 RBIs in 106 games with the Bulls. He has also collected 46 stolen bases -- tops in the International League and tied for sixth overall in the Minors.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Upton became the youngest Ray ever when he joined the club in August 2004 at age 19. He batted .258 in 45 games for the Rays for the remainder of the season with eight doubles, two triples and four home runs.

Zobrist, 25, will be making his Major League debut. He batted .304 (21-for-69) in 18 games at Durham since he was acquired from Houston on July 12, along with right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot in exchange for Huff and cash. He began the season with Double-A Corpus Christi, and was second on the team with 25 doubles and six triples in 83 games and was named a Texas League All-Star.

Rays fans: Maddon believes that cultivating a fan base is a "huge" element for the success of any Major League team and he's happy with the developing climate at Tropicana Field.

"I didn't know how good or bad [the fan base] was [at Tropicana Field], I just knew what I had heard," Maddon said. "I really believe now. [In] our games at 'the Pit' [Tropicana Field], you might see some fans rooting for the other team at the beginning. But if we're winning at the end, it's definitely gotten louder [in favor of the Rays].

"The people that are putting together the experience have done a tremendous job. I think it's a lot more of a fun place to come to. People are responding to it. I think they are responding to our style of play. I think they appreciate the fact that our players play hard and care. I think gradually, we're winning over the fans. That will last for a while. We'll have to start winning on a consistent basis, eventually, to maintain that."

Homer happy: On Saturday, the Rays hit four home runs for the seventh time during the 2006 season. Currently, the team has hit 133 home runs, which ranks seventh in the Major Leagues. They are on pace to hit 207 home runs, which would be 45 more than the club record of 162 set in 2000. The Rays have never finished higher than 17th in the Major Leagues in home runs and they have finished in the bottom five in five of the team's eight seasons.

At the Trop: The Rays currently have a 25-23 record at home, which is a drastic difference to their 18-39 road record, representing a differential of over 200 percentage points between the two. Entering the current homestand, attendance had increased 30 percent over the same time after 48 home dates in 2005 and is the best attendance at the 48-game mark since 2000.

Coming up: The Rays will play the second game of their four-game series against the Tigers on Tuesday night in a 7:15 p.m. ET contest at Tropicana Field. Left-hander J.P. Howell will start for the Rays and will be opposed by right-hander Justin Verlander.