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Matt Carasiti

Braves, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Matt Carasiti, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He recently elected free agency when the Rockies designated him for assignment and passed him through outright waivers.

Carasiti, 32, allowed 10 runs in 8 2/3 frames out of the Colorado bullpen this season and carries a 7.36 ERA in 33 frames with the Rox dating back to last season. He’s appeared in parts of four major league seasons and pitched to a 7.41 ERA in 58 1/3 innings. Rough as those numbers are, Carasiti also owns a 4.18 ERA in 170 career frames in Triple-A, where he’s fanned 25.5% of his opponents against a 10.5% walk rate. He also pitched well in 103 2/3 innings during his lone season in Nippon Professional Baseball back in 2018.

Carasiti has averaged better than 95 mph on his sinker in his career and has kept the ball on the ground at a hearty 48.5% clip in the big leagues. He’ll add some experienced bullpen depth to a Braves club that currently has A.J. Minter, Tyler Matzek and Jimmy Herget on the 15-day injured list.

Matt Carasiti Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Matt Carasiti elected free agency after going unclaimed on outright waivers, per the transactions log at MLB.com. The Rockies designated him for assignment over the weekend when they called up Geoff Hartlieb. It’s the third career outright for Carasiti, who can choose free agency each time he clears waivers.

Carasiti made seven big league appearances, allowing 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings. It was the 32-year-old’s second consecutive season working out of Bud Black’s bullpen. The former sixth-round draftee tossed a personal-high 24 1/3 frames with Colorado last year, allowing a 6.29 earned run average. Carasiti has surrendered 7.41 earned runs per nine in 58 1/3 MLB innings over parts of four campaigns dating back to 2016.

A St. John’s product, Carasiti owns a 4.18 ERA over six seasons in Triple-A. He struggled at that level this year, allowing almost six earned runs per nine with Colorado’s top farm team in Albuquerque. That’s a very difficult place to pitch, though, and he managed to strike out nearly 27% of opposing hitters.

Carasiti has fanned upwards of a quarter of his opponents in his Triple-A career behind a mid-90s fastball and a forkball, a rarely-seen offering in today’s MLB, that sits around 80 MPH. He’s never had great control, walking more than 10% of his opponents in Triple-A and the majors, but his arsenal has gotten him minor league looks from the Cubs, Mariners (who briefly called him up in 2019) and Giants — in addition to a stint in Japan with the Yakult Swallows back in 2018.

The Rockies initially drafted Carasiti and have signed him to a handful of minor league contracts over the years. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them circle back on a new non-roster deal, but his camp will have the chance to explore other opportunities.

Rockies Designate Matt Carasiti, Select Geoff Hartlieb

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The Rockies have designated right-hander Matt Carasiti for assignment, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (X link).  The move creates a roster spot for Geoff Hartlieb, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Carasiti has pitched for Colorado in each of the last two seasons, rejoining the organization on a minors contract last winter.  The contract was selected to the big league roster two weeks ago, and the righty has struggled to a 10.38 ERA across 8 2/3 innings and seven appearances.

Between these results and a 5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 Triple-A innings, it’s been a rough season all around for Carasiti, and he’ll now head to DFA limbo to await the next step.  If he clears waivers and the Rockies outright him off the 40-man roster, he has the right (due to a previous outright in his career) to reject a Triple-A assignment in favor of free agency.

The 32-year-old has a 7.41 career ERA over 58 1/3 innings across parts of four Major League seasons — with the Rockies in his 2016 rookie season, with the Mariners in 2019, and the last two years in a return trip to Colorado.  Carasiti has bounced around to a few other spots in his journeyman career, including stints in independent ball and with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball, as well as some time in the Cubs’ and Giants’ farm systems.

Hartlieb’s career arc is somewhat similar, as the Rockies represent his fifth MLB organization since was initially a 29th-round pick for Pittsburgh in the 2016 draft.  He has a 7.17 ERA over 70 1/3 career innings with three different teams at the big league level, with all but four of those frames coming with the Pirates and Mets from 2019-21.  After spending 2022 in the Red Sox farm system, he then spent most of 2023 also in the minors with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate, though he did make it back to the Show for two appearance and four innings for Miami.

He’ll now get another shot as a fresh arm in Colorado’s bullpen, and any sort of good results will help Hartlieb stick on a Rockies team starved for any kind of relief help.  The Rox rank at or near the bottom of the league in most major pitching categories, particularly on the bullpen side of the ledger.  Hartlieb is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to be designated for assignment himself if the Rockies wish to move him back to Triple-A.

Rockies Select John Curtiss, Matt Carasiti

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The Rockies made a pair of bullpen moves before tonight’s matchup with the Phillies. Colorado selected righties John Curtiss and Matt Carasiti onto the MLB roster. In corresponding moves, they optioned right-hander Peter Lambert to Triple-A Albuquerque and designated Matt Koch for assignment. To open the second necessary 40-man roster spot, the Rox transferred Kyle Freeland to the 60-day injured list.

Colorado played consecutive extra-inning games against the A’s on Wednesday and Thursday. The Rox won the former in 12 innings but dropped yesterday’s 11-inning contest in disappointing fashion. The bullpen blew leads in the ninth, tenth and eleventh frames — surrendering five runs in the final inning to get walked off after scoring four in the top half.

Koch and Lambert were the last two arms out of Bud Black’s relief corps yesterday. Koch didn’t record an out, allowing hits to Max Schuemann and Abraham Toro before serving up a game-tying homer to JJ Bleday. Lambert managed two outs before walking Tyler Soderstrom with the bases loaded to end the game. That likely took both players out of the picture for tonight and ultimately squeezed them each off the MLB roster.

The 33-year-old Koch signed an offseason minor league deal and was just selected to the big league roster over the weekend. Yesterday’s outing was his second of the season. The righty worked to a 5.12 ERA over 38 2/3 innings for Colorado a year ago. The Rox will likely put him on waivers in the next few days.

Curtiss, 31, inked a minor league deal in January. He has been hit hard for a 6.75 ERA over 21 1/3 innings with the Isotopes. The 6’5″ righty had solid results with the Rays and Marlins between 2020-21 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to the majors with the Mets a year ago, allowing 4.58 earned runs per nine with a modest 19.8% strikeout rate through 30 appearances. Curtiss is out of options, so the Rox would need to designate him for assignment if they don’t keep him in the MLB bullpen.

Carasiti still has one option remaining, so the Rockies could move him between Denver and Albuquerque. He’s in his second season in the organization and threw 24 1/3 MLB frames a year ago. Carasiti turned in a 6.29 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in the majors. He has been tagged for 5.91 ERA in the Pacific Coast League this year, but he’s punching out nearly 27% of opposing hitters at that level.

Freeland’s 60-day minimum is retroactive to his original IL placement on April 16. The veteran left-hander suffered an elbow strain after four starts. He’s throwing off a mound but hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. Freeland can pitch in the minors before his 60 days are up; he’ll be eligible for a return to MLB action in the second week of June.

Rockies, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies brought right-handed reliever Matt Carasiti back on a minor league deal, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. He’ll surely be in camp as a non-roster player after tossing 24 1/3 innings for the Rox in the big leagues last year.

Carasiti, 32, was drafted by the Rockies in the sixth round back in 2012. He made his big league debut for Colorado in 2016 before being traded to the Cubs in 2017 and then bouncing to the Giants, Mariners and Red Sox via minor league free agency. Last year’s 24 1/3 innings in his Rockies return resulted in a 6.29 ERA, 14.5% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and huge 56.1% ground-ball rate out of Bud Black’s bullpen. He posted better results in Triple-A, notching a 3.33 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 27 frames.

Carasiti has a 6.89 ERA in 49 2/3 big league innings over parts of three seasons — two with the Rockies and one (2019) with the Mariners. He still averaged 95.4 mph on his sinker last season. The Rockies’ bullpen was loaded with question marks even before word of Daniel Bard’s knee surgery.

Justin Lawrence, Tyler Kinley and Nick Mears are all likely locked into spots. Lawrence stepped up as the team’s closer in 2023, while neither Kinley or Mears can be optioned to the minors. Righty Jake Bird’s 2023 performance presumably earned him a spot as well. There are still several open spots, and even if Carasiti doesn’t grab one of those, his prior big league experience could make him an option whenever a need arises in the coming season.

Rockies Outright Austin Wynns, Harold Castro, Matt Carasiti

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The Rockies announced that catcher Austin Wynns, infielder/outfielder Harold Castro and right-hander Matt Carasiti have been outrighted off the major league roster. Their 40-man roster is now at 37 with five players on the 60-day injured list who will soon need spots, though the impending free agencies of Brent Suter, Chase Anderson and Chris Flexen will open three more.

Wynns, 32, began his career with the Orioles but went into journeyman mode this year. He went through three fifths of the National League West in 2023, bouncing from the Giants to the Dodgers and then the Rockies. Between those three clubs, he got into 51 games and hit .208/.268/.277 with positive defensive grades.

He could have been retained via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a salary of $1MM, but it seems the Rockies didn’t plan to tender him a contract. Since Wynns was outrighted, that means he passed through waivers unclaimed. Players with more than three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject a further outright assignment in favor of electing free agency, with Wynns qualifying on both counts.

Castro, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and cracked the Opening Day roster. He got into 99 games this year in a utility role, playing all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base. Unfortunately, he didn’t offer much at the plate, hitting just .252/.275/.314 for a wRC+ of 43. Given that production, it’s unsurprising the club moved on instead of opting for a projected $1.8MM arbitration salary. He has over three years of service time and a previous career outright, giving him the right to elect free agency.

Carasiti, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and was selected to the roster in May. He made 16 appearances at the big league level with a 6.49 earned run average, striking out just 14.5% of opponents while walking 10%. He doesn’t have three years of service but does have a previous career outright, meaning he also has the right to elect free agency.

Rockies Designate Jorge Alfaro For Assignment, Activate Kris Bryant

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The Rockies announced they have designated catcher Jorge Alfaro for assignment. The move clears a spot on the active and 40-man rosters for left-hander Ty Blach, who was selected onto the MLB club. Colorado also placed reliever Matt Carasiti on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder and reinstated Kris Bryant from the 10-day IL.

Alfaro spent a little over two weeks on the Colorado roster. The Rockies signed the veteran backstop to a minor league deal on June 10 and selected his contract five days later. Colorado has run a three-catcher system since then, keeping Austin Wynns and Alfaro on the bench behind Elias Díaz. Alfaro picked up 32 plate appearances, slumping to a .161/.188/.387 line with 12 strikeouts and zero walks.

Colorado will stick with Díaz and Wynns as the MLB tandem. Brian Serven is also on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado will trade Alfaro or put him on waivers within the next week. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the ability to head back to free agency based on his MLB service time.

That seems the likeliest outcome. Alfaro hasn’t had much major league success of late, hitting .239/.279/.360 with a 34.2% strikeout rate through 717 plate appearances since the start of 2020. The Colombian-born backstop has had an excellent season in Triple-A, though, putting up a .323/.366/.524 line between the Red Sox’s and Rockies’ top affiliates.

Bryant returns to the MLB roster, which the club had suggested yesterday. The former MVP is hitting second and back in right field tonight against Detroit righty Michael Lorenzen. He missed a month with a left heel contusion, the second straight season he’s been bothered by a foot issue. Bryant is hitting .263/.346/.374 in his second season in Denver.

Blach returns to the big leagues two months after clearing waivers. The 32-year-old made six relief appearances in April, allowing 13 runs in 11 innings. He has pitched reasonably well in Albuquerque, working to a 4.40 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in an extraordinarily tough environment for pitchers. Blach doesn’t throw hard or miss many bats; he’s a control specialist who induced grounders at a quality 54.6% clip for the Isotopes this season. He’ll offer skipper Bud Black a long relief option for the middle innings.

Rockies Select Matt Carasiti, DFA Fernando Abad

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The Rockies announced a pair of roster moves Sunday morning, as the club selected the contract of right-hander Matt Carasiti. To clear room for Carasiti on the active and 40-man roters, the club also announced they have designated left-hander Fernando Abad for assignment.

A sixth-round pick by the Rockies in the 2012 draft, Carasiti made his debut for the club in 2016, though he struggled to a 9.19 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of work that was 46% worse than league average by measure of ERA+. Carasiti wouldn’t return to the majors until three years later, when he appeared in 11 games for the Mariners, posting a 4.66 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work. In five seasons at the Triple-A level, Carasiti owns a 4.06 ERA in 139 2/3 innings with a 25.6% strikeout rate. Carasiti figures to factor into the bullpen for the struggling Rockies pitching staff, which currently has nine of its pitchers on the injured list.

Clearing room for Carasiti on the roster is Abad, a 37-year-old veteran currently in his eleventh season in the majors. From 2010-2017, Abad was a reliable left-handed option for middle relief in the majors, with a 3.65 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 317 2/3 innings of work over that eight year period. Since then, however, Carasiti has managed just 33 1/3 innings in the big leagues across parts of three seasons, with a 5.40 ERA and 5.09 FIP. That includes his difficult stay in Colorado this season, where he allowed three runs on two homers in just 2 2/3 innings of work. Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Abad figures to return to free agency, where he will look to latch on with another club on what would almost certainly be a minor league deal.

Rockies, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies signed reliever Matt Carasiti to a minor league contract last month, according to an announcement from the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Carasiti, 31, began his career with the Colorado organization more than a decade ago. A sixth-round draftee in 2012, he debuted in the majors four years later. Carasiti pitched to a 9.19 ERA through 19 appearances for the Rox in 2016. Colorado dealt him to the Cubs the following year, although he never played in the majors with Chicago. Carasiti made the jump to Japan after the 2017 campaign before returning to the U.S. in 2019. He briefly suited up with the Mariners that season, logging 9 2/3 frames in his most recent MLB action to date.

Signed by the Giants to a minor league deal over the 2019-20 offseason, Carasiti underwent Tommy John surgery that spring. He didn’t pitch in either of the next two seasons before returning to the San Francisco organization on a new non-roster pact heading into 2022. The St. John’s product pitched half the season at Triple-A Sacramento, allowing an 8.62 ERA over 21 2/3 innings before being released in July.

Not long after, Carasiti made the jump to the Atlantic League. He caught on with the Ducks and pitched 11 1/3 innings of four-run ball down the stretch. He struck out 14 against just four walks, evidently impressing Colorado evaluators along the way. He’ll get a look in camp and seems likely to open the 2023 campaign with Triple-A Albuquerque as bullpen depth.

Giants, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Matt Carasiti, per their official transactions log. He’ll give them some bullpen depth in the upper levels of their system heading into the 2022 season.

Carasiti, 30, has appeared in parts of two Major League seasons: the 2016 campaign with the Rockies and the 2019 season with the Mariners. This will be Carasiti’s second stint with the Giants organization, as he’d signed on for the 2020 season on this same type of minor league arrangement. However, the right-hander’s elbow gave out in an early-March appearance during Spring Training (just a week or so prior to the Covid-19 shutdown), and he wound up requiring Tommy John surgery.

Last offseason, Carasiti joined the Red Sox on a minor league pact, but he was still on the mend from that Tommy John procedure when camp opened. He was quickly reassigned to minor league camp and placed on the injured list in Triple-A when the season began. However, he never made it back to the mound to pitch for one of Boston’s minor league affiliates.

Carasiti and the Giants will hope for better health this time around, and if he’s able to match his career output at the Triple-A level, he could well earn a ticket back to the big leagues. A sixth-round pick by the Rockies back in 2012, Carasiti carries a lifetime 3.15 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate and 49.4% grounder rate in 100 Triple-A frames. He’s averaged 95.4 mph on his sinker in both of his relatively brief MLB stints, though it remains to be seen if he can recapture that velocity post-Tommy John.

In 25 1/3 Major League innings between Colorado and Seattle, Carasiti has a 7.46 ERA — albeit with a sky-high .429 opponents’ batting average on balls in play. He’ll need to sharpen the shaky command he’s shown in the big leagues (16 walks, three hit batters) if he’s to replicate his minor league success, but given his strong results between Triple-A and Double-A, it’s not hard to see why multiple clubs have been intrigued by bringing him to Spring Training in recent years.

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