The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The move comes just days after Carrasco was acquired from the Yankees. Additionally, recently-acquired Tyler Kinley has reported to the club and is now active. A corresponding roster move wasn’t necessary to accommodate Carrasco after Atlanta traded right-hander Rafael Montero to the Tigers last night.
Carrasco, a 16-year MLB veteran, was brought in to help the Braves’ beleaguered rotation. The 38-year-old was picking up Cy Young votes for Cleveland a decade ago, but now he’ll serve as a placeholder for a Braves club that has been decimated by injuries. Carrasco’s bat-missing days are gone, but he has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Carrasco joined the Yankees in a minor league deal in February, making the team’s Opening Day roster given injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. He made six starts and two relief appearances and was designated for assignment by the first week of May. The Yankees re-added him to the 40-man in June, but bumped him back off before he could make an appearance. Three days ago, Carrasco was flipped to the Braves for cash considerations.
Carrasco is set to start for the Braves tonight in Cincinnati, one of only three MLB games on the docket for trade deadline day. That Carrasco and other recent pickups Erick Fedde and Joey Wentz make up 60% of the Braves’ rotation speaks to the injuries the club has accumulated in a disastrous season. The Braves have a full rotation on the shelf: Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, Reynaldo Lopez, and AJ Smith-Shawver. Smith-Shawver is out for the season with Tommy John surgery, and it’s unclear what the team will get this year from the others.