Canning was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.
Canning allowed six runs on six hits and two walks in 2.2 innings against the Orioles on Friday, but his demotion still comes as a slight surprise since he had posted a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings in his three starts leading up to Friday's rocky outing. Manager Joe Maddon said the right-hander needs to work on his fastball command in the minors and could return to the Angels if he shows improvement, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. Since the Angels have an off day Thursday, they plan to simply skip Canning's turn through the rotation ahead of the All-Star break.