PHOENIX -- Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Todd Stottlemyre began the season with a partial tear of his rotator cuff and has had it interrupted twice by an elbow ailment.

The first-place Diamondbacks on Monday placed the veteran on the 15-day disabled list with tendininits in his pitching elbow for the second time in less than a month.

An MRI exam Monday showed no tear in the ligament. Had a tear been detected, Stottlemyre's season, and perhaps his career, would have been over.

The plan is for Stottlemyre, the No. 2 starter in the rotation, to return July 17.

"That's the fifth day after the All-Star break," manager Buck Showalter said, "so he gets the benefit of three weeks. That's what we're shooting for at this point."

That's a little more time than Stottlemyre took off to rest the injured elbow the first time.

"I think last time I pitched on the 16th day after I was sidelined," Stottlemyre said. "Maybe an extra four, five or six days will be a big difference. Maybe more rest mean's I'll last longer next time." Stottlemyre, who has pitched with a tear in his shoulder the last two seasons, worked just one inning of Sunday's 8-3 victory over Colorado and left after complaining of discomfort in the elbow.

It is the same injury that landed him on the DL May 30-June 14. He is 8-5 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 starts this season, his second with the team after signing a four-year, $32 million deal.

To replace Stottlemyre on the roster, the Diamondbacks purchased the contract of one of the hottest hitters in the minor leagues, first baseman Alex Cabrera.

Cabrera was batting .382 with 35 home runs and 82 RBI in 53 games for Double-A El Paso of the Texas League. His 21 homers in May were the second-highest monthly total in minor-league history.

The Diamondbacks had room on the 40-man roster after designating outfielder Bernard Gilkey for assignment on Saturday. They also placed star third baseman Matt Williams on the DL Sunday.

Stottlemyre, the son of New York Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, had lost both previous decisions after coming off the DL but yielded only five earned runs and 11 hits while walking one and striking out 17 in 13 2/3 innings.

The 35-year-old was 6-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 games last season, missing three months with a slight tear in his rotator cuff. He is 137-118 in 13 major league seasons, also pitching for Toronto, Oakland, St. Louis and Texas.

Cabrera, a right-handed hitter, likely will back up lefty first baseman Erubiel Durazo, who was activated from the DL on Saturday.

A 28-year-old Venezuelan, Cabrera played in Taiwan last year after spending two seasons in Mexico, where Durazo was discovered.