Former Cleveland Guardians pitcher designated for assignment by New York Yankees

It appears the return to New York for one former Cleveland Guardians pitcher may have come to an end. The Yankees have designated veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment to clear a spot on their major league roster for pitcher Yerry De Los Santos.

Carrasco made eight appearances for the Yankees (six starts) before being DFA'd, compiling a 5.91 ERA, 1.531 WHIP, and 7.0 K/9 ratio. Nothing too spectacular from Carrasco, but it should be somewhat expected from a pitcher in his age 38 season.

The 16 year veteran initially signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, hoping to carve out a role in New York just like he did in Cleveland last season, and just like how things played out in 2024, injuries to the Yankees' pitching staff resulted in Carrasco making the team out of spring training. Unlike last season, Carrasco is not going to reach double-digit appearances before being designated for assingment. The Yankees believe they have better alternatives available to them rather than keeping turning to a relatively ineffetive Carrasco.

Cookie made 21 starts for the Guardians last season, finishing with a 5.64 ERA, 1.399 WHIP, and 7.7 K/9 ratio in his second go-around in Cleveland in 2024. The Guardians were essentially forced to keep Carrasco in their rotation due to the injuries of Shane Bieber and Gavin Williams, along with the poor performances of Logan Allen and Triston McKenzie. This combination provided Carrasco with the opportunity to continue making major league appearances while the Guardians figured out what their long-term plans for their pitching staff were.

The performance on the mound last year was not great by any means, but Carrasco was able to provide Cleveland with an arm ready to go every five days until he was designated for assignment last September. That near-constant availability was incredibly valuable for the Guardians last season and could be again this season should he catch on with another team that finds itself in need of pitching.