Carlos Carrasco’s time with the New York Yankees lasted just 32 innings. It didn’t go well.
The team designated Carrasco for assignment Tuesday after the veteran right hander struggled to open the season.
After spending the 2024 season with the Cleveland Guardians, Carrasco joined the Yankees on a minor-league deal in February. Carrasco was initially signed to give the team more depth at pitcher, but injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt during spring training pushed Carrasco into the team’s rotation immediately.
He couldn’t find his stride. Carrasco made eight appearances for the Yankees — including six starts. He posted a 5.91 ERA with the team before his release. It marks yet another disappointing season for Carrasco, who has finished with a 5.00 ERA or higher in four of the last six seasons.
From 2014 to 2018, Carrasco was among the better pitchers in the league. The right-hander starred with Cleveland, putting up a 3.27 ERA over 856 seasons during that stretch. Carrasco never reached the All-Star Game during those years, but did earn himself a fourth-place Cy Young finish in 2017.
After struggling to start 2019, Carrasco was diagnosed with leukemia. He missed three months and returned to pitch for the team in September.
Carrasco returned to the Guardians for the 2020 season. He dealt with an arm injury during spring training, but was able to recover in time for the start of the regular season after it got pushed to July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Carrasco experienced a resurgence that year, posting a 2.91 ERA over 12 starts.
He left Cleveland that offseason to sign with the New York Mets. He battled numerous injuries with the team, and posted a 5.21 ERA over 295 2/3 innings over three seasons with the club. Carrasco went back to Cleveland in 2024 and posted a 5.64 ERA before signing with the Yankees in February.
Given his recent struggles, Carrasco’s time in the majors could be coming to a close after the team designated him for assignment. He’s technically eligible to be claimed by any team, though it’s unclear whether another club will put in for a struggling 38-year-old pitcher. If he’s not claimed, Carrasco can be sent to the minors, but since he has over five years of MLB service time, he can reject that assignment.
Yankees starting rotation without Carlos Carrasco
With Carrasco out of the picture, the Yankees will need to find someone to replace him in the rotation. That might wind up being Yerry de los Santos, who the team called up Tuesday. He has not, however, started for the team in the minors this season. In 10 1/3 innings at Triple A, the 27-year-old de los Santos has a 2.91 ERA.
If de los Santos is not an option to start, the team could once again rely on reliever Ryan Yarbrough as a spot-starter. With the team’s rotation already in disarray, Yarbrough got a start Saturday, and gave up one run over four innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Schmidt returned to the Yankees rotation after being sidelined during spring, his last start was pushed back due to injury. Cole and Gil are not close to returning, though veteran Marcus Stroman could begin a rehab assignment soon.
Stroman is still weeks away, however, meaning the Yankees will need to fill multiple turns through the rotation before he’s ready to go.
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