Braves' latest bullpen shuffle features Guardians throwback fans thought had retired

Carlos Carrasco’s back (again). 

While it seemed like Carrasco’s big league career was over after the Guardians designated him for assignment at the end of the 2024 season, he saw big league action with both the Yankees and Braves last season. 

And now it looks like he’s going to see some big league action in 2026, as the Braves added Carrasco to their 26-man roster on Wednesday. He’s set to work as a long relief option later today behind prospect JR Ritche, who will be making his big league debut today against the Nationals. 

Although that role is a far cry from when Carrasco was a frontline starter for the Guardians earlier in his career, it’s still an impressive feat for the 39-year-old. 

Carlos Carrasco is getting another big league shot after struggling last year

This will mark the second straight year where Carrasco’s been on Atlanta’s big league roster. After starting last season with the Yankees, the Braves traded for him when he was in the minors in July and quickly added him to their big league roster. 

He posted an unsightly 9.88 ERA across three appearances for them and was subsequently DFA’d. 

He re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league contract in the offseason, and he’s been able to put last year’s struggles in the rearview mirror this season in the minors, as he’s posted a 1.71 ERA in 21 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett while working as a full-time starter. 

His big league debut for the Braves could look a little different, however. While Ritchie (Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) is fully built up, Atlanta’s bullpen isn’t. 

The Braves have gotten back-to-back subpar outings from their starters, and were forced to use Martín Pérez (who was originally supposed to start today) in relief last night after Didier Fuentes struggled. 

That shuffle led to Ritchie getting the call for today’s start and Carrasco joining him as backup. 

Even though Carrasco’s time with the Guardians ended with a bit of a whimper after an unimpressive 2024 season, he’s still one of the best pitchers in modern Cleveland baseball history. 

After struggling across his first five big league seasons (a span that included Tommy John surgery), Carrasco was able to turn his career around in 2014 thanks to a well-timed move to the bullpen that allowed for him to unlock more out of his arsenal. 

He followed that up with a dominant four-year run where he earned Cy Young votes twice (2015 and 2017). He also picked up a league-leading 18 wins in that ‘17 season. 

He was diagnosed with leukemia during the 2019 season, but beat it and returned to Cleveland’s rotation the following season before being traded to the Mets. 

He spent three seasons in Queens before returning to the Guardians in 2024, where he was thrust into a larger role due to the team’s abundance of pitching injuries. 

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