Braves DFA could mean the end for this Guardians legend

It looks like the end has finally come for Carlos Carrasco. 

After starting the 2025 season with the New York Yankees, Carrasco was swooped up by the Atlanta Braves at the end of July due to the team’s lack of starting pitchers. 

But, after three outings with the Braves, Carrasco was cut loose on Thursday when Atlanta designated him for assignment. 

It may be the last time we get a chance to see him on a major league mound. 

Braves DFA could mean the end for Carlos Carrasco 

If this is indeed the end for Carrasco, it’ll come at the end of what’s been a rough season for the 38-year-old. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in spring training and ended up making eight appearances for the Bronx Bombers due to a variety of injuries in their starting rotation — essentially the same path he took with the Guardians in 2024. 

But, instead of getting 20+ chances like he did with Cleveland, Carrasco only lasted a month on the Yankees roster before being designated for assignment. 

He then stayed with the Yankees on a minor league deal and posted an impressive 3.27 ERA in 52 1/3 innings, which led to him getting a shot for a Braves team desperate for innings.

He impressed in his first outing when tossed a quality start against the Reds before allowing six runs in five innings against the Marlins and six runs in two innings against the Mets his last time out, which led to him being DFA’d. 

Even if the end of Carrasco’s career hasn’t been anything spectacular, there’s no denying what he meant to Cleveland early in his career. 

After fizzling out as a starter early in his career, he moved to the bullpen in 2014, which ended up jumpstarting a run where he was one of baseball’s best pitchers at the end of the 2010s. He recorded an 18 win season in 2018 and posted an ERA under 3.70 in five straight starts. 

He also let the city of Cleveland into his battle with leukemia. He was honored by the All-Star Game in 2019, and made his return in 2020. 

The Guardians ended up trading him to the Mets alongside Francisco Lindor as a part of their trade for Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario, where he spent three seasons. 

He made a return to Cleveland last year, where he pitched 103 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment that September. 

Carrasco will likely stick around in some minor league capacity given that he did so after being DFA’d by the Yankees and Guardians, but it remains to be seen if he’ll get another shot in MLB this year. 

But, regardless of how that goes, it’ll never take away what he did during his time in Cleveland.