By: Matt Rappa, managing editor 
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Philadelphia Phillies have optioned right-handers Alec Asher and David Buchanan to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, according to Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal.
Asher, 24, allowed seven earned runs over eight innings of work this spring on 10 hits, two home runs and three walks. With 14 strikeouts, the Lakeland, Florida, native was tied for most in Major League baseball with Cleveland Indians right-hander Danny Salazar.
Because Asher did not exceed 45 days of service (36) or 50.0 innings pitched last season (29.0), his rookie status is still intact through 2016.
Buchanan, 26, was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP ratio in two Grapefruit League starts this spring—March 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin and March 11 against the division-rival Atlanta Braves in Kissimmee.
Last season, the right-hander struggled with a 2-9 record and a 6.99 ERA over 15 regular season starts.
With Asher and Buchanan no longer at major league camp, the competition for the five-man starting rotation job is starting to get more defined. Right-handers Jeremy Hellickson, Charlie Morton and Aaron Nola are considered locks, with four others battling it out for the two remaining spots: right-handers Jerad Eickhoff, Vincent Velasquez and southpaws Brett Oberholtzer and Adam Morgan.
The Phillies have 15 more Grapefruit League games in Florida this spring before heading to Reading, Pennsylvania, for the Futures game on Thursday, March 31.
