ST. PETERSBURG -- Blake Snell will be recalled by the Rays to start against the Pirates on Wednesday, while Erasmo Ramirez will head back to the bullpen.
A corresponding roster move will take place prior to Wednesday's game.
Snell began the season with the Rays, but the left-hander struggled to pitch deep into games. Hoping to improve the situation, the Rays optioned him to Triple-A Durham on May 14.
"Yeah, [he's ready to come back up]," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We asked him to go down there, work on a couple of things, improve on some things. He went and did that. We're happy where he's at. It's a tricky situation, but I think we all understand where our bullpen [is] at.
"Erasmo can go in there and maybe provide a boost for us in the bullpen. We've gotta be able to piece some outs together to get to [Alex] Colome. And knowing what Erasmo's done in the past in the bullpen, we think that's going to help us."
Snell, 24, was 0-4 with a 4.71 ERA in eight starts for the Rays earlier in the season. He is 5-0 with a 2.66 ERA in seven starts for the Bulls. Cash said he is confident about Snell returning to the Rays as an improved pitcher.
"He owned that he needed to go down, that he needed to reset a little bit," Cash said. "I know he put in a lot of work with [Durham pitching coach] Kyle Snyder. Kyle and I have talked pretty routinely about his outings, and there's been just a constant show of progress. [So] we're excited to have him back up here."
Cash said Snell has "gotten more efficient and [pitched] deep in ballgames."
"[I] would assume that starts with the strike throwing and getting ahead of the hitters," Cash said. "But in talking to Kyle, in talking to Blake, he feels like he's in a good spot. He feels all of his pitches have improved. He has a little more sharpness to him. ... He's throwing the ball really well in Triple-A."
Cash allowed that Ramirez was disappointed to be returning to the bullpen.

"We can all appreciate that," Cash said. "At the end of the day, we're not viewing this as a demotion, we're viewing it as something that will help our club. But for him to feel that way, I can understand that."
Cash said that Ramirez would be available in the bullpen starting on Sunday.
"He bounces back [well]," Cash said. "His arm's very resilient. [I] like the way he attacks hitters. Erasmo can pitch to the situation, at times. He can go get a ground ball when he needs a ground ball. When he needs to mix it up to get a strikeout, he's shown he's able to do that, too."