June 3: The Yankees announced today that Carrasco has been designated for assignment while Cruz has been reinstated from the IL, as expected. Additionally, Luke Weaver landed on the 15-day IL, as was previously reported. Righty Yerry De Los Santos was recalled in a corresponding move. The Yanks also reinstated infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the IL and optioned infielder Jorbit Vivas.
June 2: The Yankees have placed right-hander Carlos Carrasco on outright waivers, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post. Players can be placed on waivers without being designated for assignment, so it seems Carrasco is still on the roster for now. However, Sherman notes that righty Fernando Cruz could be coming off the injured list on Tuesday. The Yankees are off today, so it seems like Carrasco could be the corresponding move for Cruz tomorrow.
The veteran Carrasco was only just added to the Yankee roster yesterday. Their pitching staff had been used fairly heavily in the prior days. Facing the Dodgers this weekend, the Yanks used five pitchers in Friday’s 8-5 loss. Then on Saturday, they got creamed 18-2. Starter Will Warren only lasted an inning and a third in that game, forcing the Yankees to use seven other pitchers to get through the rest of the game. One of those was utility player Pablo Reyes but the larger point is that the bullpen got pushed pretty hard.
Carrasco was added to give the club a fresh arm just in case Sunday’s game was another nightmare but it thankfully went far smoother. Ryan Yarbrough started and gave the club six good innings in a game the club eventually won 7-3. Jonathan Loáisiga tossed the seventh and Devin Williams the eighth. Luke Weaver was going to toss the ninth but was held back due to some hamstring discomfort. Tim Hill came in instead and got the final three outs.
That seemingly puts Carrasco in the unfortunate position of losing his roster spot without getting into a game. He was with the Yankees earlier this year and logged 32 innings in a swing role but had a 5.91 earned run average in that time. He got bumped off the roster and cleared waivers. He accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and made two starts there. The first outing was fine but the second was rough, as he allowed five earned runs without making it out of the second inning.
It seems unlikely that Carrasco will be claimed. He just cleared less than a month ago and hasn’t been in great form since. However, it’s also theoretically possible that there’s a team which has been snakebit by injuries of late and is more willing to take a chance on Carrasco now than they were just a few weeks ago.
If he does go unclaimed and the Yankees outright him off the roster, he has more than enough service time to elect free agency. However, the last time he cleared, he accepted and reported to the RailRiders, so perhaps he would do so again.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Poor Carrasco, I think its time to hang em up.
This guy broke into my house in the wee hours of Christmas morning 2013 and unwrapped all my family’s presents. My children were devastated
This guy broke into my house the same year. The night before Thanksgiving. I hear a noise and come downstairs to find him eating a raw turkey that was left out to thaw. I have never in my life seen something so feral from another human being.
Along with Kyle Gibson IMO
Should him play for Colorado
Him should
Senior softball league is his next stop
I don’t think a MLB player would wanna join your team, Well Hung.
Room for you to join too steinbrenner
Mexican league then retire is his last stop
Even “Cookies” have an expiration date.
Get him Dodgers. You can have a lineup card with Mookie, Freddie, Chuckie, and Cookie.
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
And he didn’t even mention Cookie Lavagetto…
Where careers go to die in recent years. Yankees always seem to get players that long ago had their best year.
Like Goldschmidt?
Boonedoggle had Weaver warming up on the plane. Because he insisted on pitching him in a runway game he’ll probably land on the IL.
The cookie has crumbled. Time to hang ‘em up and he has every right to hold his head up high. He overcame a lot during his career and played the game the right way.
I think he was a great pitcher in his heyday.
Perhaps he and DJ should find a good sports bar and support the Yankees watching game there and pounding down some brewhas.