The Braves designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment on Wednesday, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster will go to left-hander Dylan Lee, who has been reinstated from the paternity list.
Carrasco pitched one perfect inning for Atlanta and picked up a strikeout in that spotless frame. His call to the roster always seemed likely to be short term in nature. Carrasco signed a minor league deal with the Braves over the winter after pitching 13 2/3 innings for them down the stretch last year. The Braves designated Carrasco for assignment last August and quickly re-signed him to a minor league deal. He re-signed on another minor league pact over the winter, which seems to suggest he’s amenable to a Jesse Chavez-style arrangement in Atlanta, where Chavez was frequently brought to the majors, cut loose, and re-signed as minor league depth.
The 39-year-old Carrasco opened the 2026 season with four sharp starts in Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s tossed 21 innings for the Stripers and notched a sparkling 1.71 ERA with a 20.7% strikeout rate against a 5.7% walk rate. It’s at least feasible that another club in need of depth might place a speculative claim or talk to the Braves about a possible cash trade, but most veteran DFAs of this nature will see the player hit the open market one way or another. Given the recent history between Carrasco and Atlanta, there’s a decent chance he’s released or rejects an outright assignment and quickly re-signs a new minor league deal.
Carrasco has now pitched in parts of 17 major league seasons. He has more than 14 years of big league service and owns a lifetime 4.22 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate. If he ends up back in Gwinnett, he’ll probably stay stretched out in the rotation there and wait for another opportunity to bring a fresh arm to the big league bullpen or perhaps make a spot start or two in the rotation, as injuries necessitate.
At least Cookie will get a championship ring now.
Cue Limp Bizkit as an anthem. But really, please don’t.
“I did it all for the cookie”
On another note, RP James Karinchak is lookin’ good at AAA. I wonder when he’ll get his shot.
Suarez can be next once Strider returns this weekend.
Him or Payamps
I am normally one of the ones that thinks Payamps should also go, but he has been looking quite a bit better from his last couple outings that I have watched. His stuff has looked good, and he seems to be commanding it pretty well.
If he keeps it up, idk, he might be changing my opinion of him. The lesser Suarez has definitely got to go, though. He never looks good, not even short glimpses…lol
Payamps has not looked good at all… At today is more of the same. I say keep Suarez over Payamps at this point.
Id take a look at him a for pitching depth. The A’s could use another arm for sure
Nats should pick him up immediately.
Retire
I always wondered what the benefit is (if there is one at all) to elect free agency if they’re immediately going to sign a new minor league deal.
For the players who want to take some time to figure out their options, sure. But is there an actual benefit to doing it this way instead?
That is actually a really good question. Honestly, I am not really sure, so I know I won’t really be much help here. Although, I think it just allows them to take a look around the league at that particular point in time, see if any teams are potentially interested in a major league deal, and then if not, they are able to re-do their contract possibly with a little more leverage this time around if they have performed well recently. Plus, the team releasing the player may be willing to throw them an extra bone or two in their new contract for being a good teammate/clubhouse guy.
That is my best guess, but it is nothing more than that. Jesse Chavez would definitely be the man to ask about that, given he is most certainly the resident expert on that very specific topic…lol