Cleveland Indians: Carlos Carrasco continues to look great in Akron

Carlos Carrasco appears ready to return to the Cleveland Indians sooner rather than later after another impressive rehab outing in Akron.

The Cleveland Indians had yet another dud game in New York on Thursday. The hours of delays only made it drag on and be more frustrating.

The vibes in Akron were much different and not just because I’m fun and I live there.

Carlos Carrasco got some more work out of the bullpen with the Akron RubberDucks. Naturally, he dominated.

Carrasco’s first outing was all about his return to the mound after his leukemia diagnosis earlier this summer. The inspiration remained Thursday night, but he showed that this return is also about becoming a dominant reliever for the remainder of the 2019 season and hopefully into the postseason.

The veteran was up around 96 mph in his first rehab outing. He was up around there on Thursday as well.

He is throwing heat, throwing strikes, and striking out batters. Sure, it is in Double-A. That is still quite the performance for someone working their way back to major league action while battling leukemia.

It is hard to believe that September 1 is here a week from Sunday. That means Carrasco doesn’t have months to develop into his reliever role, but he should be good considering how he is doing now and the fact he was still on the mound earlier this season. He isn’t recovering from a muscle injury or anything structural.

The Carrasco news is a glowing positive at a time when some Indians fans are panicking after a rough trip to New York. The offense is struggling and so is the bullpen.

Carrasco’s eventual return won’t directly help the offense but it will provide a huge boost to the bullpen. Maybe he even slots in as the new closer.

Not too bad for a guy battling leukemia.