MLB Player News

Asher was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Asher pitched well in his spot start Tuesday, but following Wednesday's contest in which the bullpen was used heavily, he'll head back to the minors to give Gabriel Ynoa a chance to bolster the relief corps. Asher could find his way back up to the big leagues relatively soon thanks to his solid performance, although Chris Tillman's (shoulder) impending return from the DL could make things too crowded in the big leagues for Asher to get a fair shake.

Miley -- who owns MLB's third-worst BB/9 at 5.52 -- is working through the growing pains of a major mechanical adjustment meant to, above all, improve his command, SB Nation's Nick Cicere reports.

An informal talk with Orioles legend Scotty McGregor during a batting practice session last year led to a discovery. McGregor, a fellow left-hander who spent his entire career (1976-88) with Baltimore, noticed that Miley was rushing through many steps in the pitching process. "The talk I had with him in the outfield last year kind of stuck with me," said Miley. "I was kind of working too hard throughout games and trying to do too much." Although the 30-year-old's current walk rate is atrocious, Miley noted that he is, to an extent, trying to work off the plate more than ever before. He's changing his mentality and looking to get hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. "It sounds kind of crazy, but my misses were killing me last year, I was missing over the plate. Now, my misses are off the plate." That's not to say Miley finds his 2.0 K/BB acceptable, but he understands it's part of the learning curve. Even though his lack of control can hurt owners, the starter has offset the damage by posting a career-high 11.0 K/9 through 31 innings thus far. Across the board, Miley's numbers suggest something major is changing in the way he's going about his seventh MLB season.

Ramirez was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays on Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by the Giants at the end of April, but he proved to be intriguing to Toronto thanks to the 18 punchouts he recorded in 10.1 innings out of San Francisco's bullpen. That being said, he also allowed 15 runs on 16 hits in that span, so it's hard to see him carving out much of a role if he can get back to the big leagues.

Gray will start for the Athletics on Sunday against the Tigers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander will take the spot originally scheduled for Sean Manaea (shoulder), who felt soreness during recent rehab work. Gray will notch a two-start week, though he'll face a tough Tigers lineup after having trouble with the Twins on Tuesday. At least his velocity has come back strong, topping out at 96.1 mph Tuesday, since he returned from the disabled list.

Rodon (biceps) was transferred to the 60-day DL on Thursday.

He was not expected back before June, so this does not change his timetable, and simply frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for David Holmberg. Rodon is in a throwing program, but the White Sox have been vague about his progress. He was on the DL retroactive to March 30, so the earliest he could return is May 30, although he is more likely to return in mid-to-late June.

Stroman -- who left Wednesday's start early due to arm soreness -- said there are no plans for further tests on his right arm, and he's confident that he'll be ready to make his next start, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

The departure of Stroman after three innings due to "some general arm tightness" is a worrying development. However, the young gun was optimistic after the game. "It's not something I'm worried about," said Stroman. "I'll just go through my normal progression during the week and I'll be ready to rock Tuesday." The right-hander went on to say he was simply having trouble getting loose on a night when the temperature sat in the mid-50s. Moving forward, it looks safe to assume Stroman will be fine to deploy as usual.

Carrasco was fighting a fever throughout his Wednesday start against the White Sox, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

Terry Francona made sense of why he pulled his starting pitcher after just six innings and 91 pitches -- both of which were Carrasco's lowest totals since his first outing of the season. Onlookers would have no idea the 30-year-old was battling an illness based on the performance that earned him a victory. In six starts this year, Carrasco has turned in a 2.18 ERA, which currently ranks ninth among AL starters. He's also tied with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for the third-most innings (41.1) in MLB.

Nolasco pitched through what he described as a hamstring cramp in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners. He will be re-evaluated Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Hamstring cramps would help explain the poor outing from the veteran, who gave up four runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings Wednesday. Nolasco reportedly pitched through the ailment, so it doesn't appear to be a serious issue and he could still make his next turn in the rotation against the Athletics on Monday. Even if he does make the start, the 25-year-old's 4.68 ERA makes him an unappealing option.

Morton (3-2) whiffed eight Rangers over six strong innings Wednesday, giving up just one run on five hits and two walks in a 10-1 victory.

Morton's evolution into a hard-throwing, strikeout-generating starter after age 30 has certainly been an unusual one, but strange as it is, it's hard to argue with a 39:10 K:BB over 34 innings. While his ERA is still high at 3.97, the deeper stats paint a prettier picture; Morton has a sharp 3.10 FIP and 3.19 xFIP, as he's been the recipient of some poor BABIP luck.

Snell struck out nine batters while allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over five innings in Wednesday's no-decision against Miami.

He left with a lead that the bullpen blew for him, but then again, that's what happens when you almost never go beyond five innings. It took Snell 109 pitches to get those 15 outs, so even though he's provided decent ERA for fantasy owners and this strikeout improvement was promising, he's still more upside than production. When he puts it all together, though -- and that could certainly happen this season -- Snell is going to develop into an excellent starter.