Notes on Asher, D. Álvarez, Bourn, 40-man and more

With their competition for the fifth starter's spot reduced to two pitchers occupying the first two spots on an alphabetical list, the Orioles chose the one who would stay in turn and produced the best results at Triple-A Norfolk in an extremely short sample size.

Their selection also rewarded the newcomer, a right-hander who joined the organization less than a week before the Orioles broke camp.

Alec Asher was acquired from the Phillies on March 28 for the always popular "player to be named" or cash considerations. He moved to the head of the class with the Orioles needing a fifth starter Saturday in Toronto.

The Orioles were thrilled to get a pitcher with Asher's arm for such a small price. They did their homework on him, making certain that he was healthy and his past issues were behind him.

Asher was suspended 80 games in June 2016 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. They wanted to make certain that there wasn't a character issue.

Left-handers are batting .315 against Asher in his 12 major league starts. Right-handers are hitting .245.

In eight home starts with the Phillies, Asher went 0-5 with a 7.46 ERA and 1.600 WHIP over 35 innings. He surrendered 29 runs and 46 hits and served up nine home runs. He was 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.015 WHIP in four road starts covering 21 2/3 innings, with eight earned runs (12 total), 18 hits and no home runs.

Dariel Álvarez, who was re-signed to a minor league deal, will remain in pitching mode after he's healthy and able to get back on a mound.

Doctors have recommended that Álvarez undergo ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. One member of the organization said, "He's got to have it." It's just a matter of succumbing to the procedure and beginning the rehab process.

The Orioles still want Álvarez to make the transition from outfielder to pitcher. It's just been delayed.

Though the Orioles signed Edwin Jackson to a minor league contract and sent him to extended spring training, they continued to check in on Doug Fister as another option in their quest to improve their pitching depth. Fister apparently is holding out for a major league deal, which wasn't an issue with Jackson.

Jackson currently is viewed as more of a bullpen piece than a rotation candidate.

The Orioles assigned outfielder Michael Bourn to Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the disabled list retroactive to April 11 as he recovers from a broken finger. They don't currently have a spot for him on the major league roster, with left-handed hitters Hyun Soo Kim and Seth Smith in the corners. Joey Rickard's return from the disabled list will create another crowded situation, especially with Trey Mancini getting regular use and mashing the ball.

Did you see Mancini's approach against Francisco Liriano last night and the single that followed? He can flat-out hit.

Bourn is back in the organization in case of an injury. He improves the outfield depth, especially with Chris Dickerson fighting to stay healthy.

Who would come off the 40-man roster if Bourn were added to it? Let's take another look at the candidates following yesterday's flurry of moves:

Pitchers
Jayson Aquino
Alec Asher
Richard Bleier
Brad Brach
Parker Bridwell
Zach Britton
Dylan Bundy
Miguel Castro
Stefan Crichton
Andrew Faulkner
Kevin Gausman
Mychal Givens
Donnie Hart
Ubaldo Jiménez
Chris Lee
Jesus Liranzo
Damien Magnifico
Wade Miley
Vidal Nuño
Darren O'Day
Chris Tillman
Logan Verrett
Tyler Wilson
Mike Wright
Gabriel Ynoa

Catchers
Welington Castillo
Caleb Joseph

Infielders
Chris Davis
Ryan Flaherty
J.J. Hardy
Manny Machado
Jonathan Schoop

Outfielders
Craig Gentry
Adam Jones
Hyun Soo Kim
Trey Mancini
Joey Rickard
Anthony Santander
Seth Smith
Mark Trumbo

I'm putting Mancini with the outfielders because that seems to be his new position.

Asher must be added to the 25-man roster on Saturday and Stefan Crichton's stay could be brief, but there are other possibilities. Manager Buck Showalter could decide that he doesn't need two long relievers, and Vidal Nuño has logged only 1 1/3 innings in two appearances.

Having so many optionable pieces makes it tougher to predict the next move.

I thought Oliver Drake might be in danger Saturday, but his removal from the 25- and 40-man rosters for Crichton came as a surprise until last night's announcement that he was dealt to the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash. Showalter indicated to reporters in Toronto that something was brewing that would explain the decision on Drake, and then ... boom.

Meanwhile, the Twitter world was filled with Mychal Givens injury speculation based on his diminished velocity Wednesday night in Boston and comments made by Hall of Famer Jim Palmer on the MASN broadcast. Givens tossed two scoreless innings and reversed the momentum, one of the big keys to the game, but his fastball wasn't in the mid-90s and some people were ready to put him on the disabled list.

Givens didn't have his best stuff, but he's learning how to compensate.

"Going in there and pitching down in the zone, knowing how to pitch in and out, and changing eye levels and changing speeds is a big part," Givens told reporters, including MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. "It was a pretty cold day. Just went in to minimize the damage and attack hitters."

The Orioles designated Jason García for assignment to make room for Magnifico, who arrived just as I was running out of puns.

The Orioles thought García had a high ceiling and they loved his arm, which explained their decision to take him in the Rule 5 draft out of the Red Sox system and keep him over the more experienced Logan Verrett. García showed some promise, but he never flashed the upper 90s fastball that the Orioles saw while scouting him, and he didn't take the necessary steps last summer to get back to the majors.

García was a source of frustration this spring because he was tinkering with his delivery - changing his footing on the rubber depending on the pitch - and not getting hitters out. They'd obviously like to keep him in the organization and continue to work with him, but not at the expense of a 40-man spot.