Snell was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
This is a surprising development on its surface, but the fact of the matter is that Snell has struggled through his eight starts with the Rays this season. He routinely fell behind in the count in his start Saturday, which allowed the Red Sox to sit on certain pitches and push six runs across. Snell will need to work on his command in Durham before rejoining the big-league club. He notched an 0-4 record with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP prior to his demotion.