CLEVELAND -- Tampa Bay pitcher Ryan Rupe remained hospitalized Thursday after a blood clot was discovered above his right biceps, and he underwent a procedure to have an arm vein opened to improve blood flow.

	Rupe

The 25-year-old Rupe left his start Wednesday night against the Indians in the third inning complaining of stiffness in his arm. But after being examined by Devil Rays trainer Jamie Reed and Cleveland team doctor Louis Keppler, Rupe was taken to the hospital.

"He came out after the first inning and said his arm was a little stiff," Reed said. "But that's him, he's a battler. He didn't want to come out."

But Reed said he knew something was more drastically wrong with Rupe, who in 1997 had surgery to remove part of a rib in his right arm pit and has had previous circulation problems.

"His hand was really swollen and the vein through his biceps looked like a garden hose it was so engorged," said Reed. "This was abnormal."

When Rupe got the hospital doctors discovered a blockage in his biceps and a blood clot in his upper arm, Reed said. It is not uncommon for patients who have surgeries similar to the one Rupe underwent in '97 to develop blood clots.

"But this was beyond his normal," Reed said.

Rupe was given a blood thinning medication to dissolve the blood clot. He had one of the two veins that return blood from his hand to his heart cleared on Thursday afternoon.

"The procedure was very successful," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "He'll be monitored over the next 24-48 hours and will probably be released in Saturday."

After his release, Rupe will return to St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be examined by Devil Rays vascular specialist Dr. Larry Williams.

Barring any complications, Rupe may be able to start doing light exercise as early as next week. Reed said it was too early to say whether or not Rupe would pitch again this season.

But Rothschild suggested it might be better for Rupe to wait until next spring before he returns.

"I would question whether he'll be able to come back this year," Rothschild said.

Rothschild praised Reed for his role in diagnosing Rupe's condition, which could have been life-threatening had it not been caught.

"For an injury that's not very common, he did a heck of a job," said Rothschild. "Jamie is the one who noticed it. I give him credit because you never know what can happen with those things."

Rupe was selected in the sixth round of the 1998 draft by the Devils Rays. Last season he became the first Tampa draft pick to be called up and went 8-9 with a 4.55 ERA in 24 starts.

He was 5-6 with a 6.92 ERA in 18 starts this season.

Following Tampa Bay's 4-3 win Thursday night, Rothschild said he was relieved to hear Rupe was doing fine.

"That was very good news," he said. "We really didn't know how serious it was, so nobody on the team was really scared. From what they told me, it was not life-threatening. If it was in the lower extremities, that would have been a lot worse."