Carlos Carrasco and the Atlanta Braves always felt like a strange pairing.
The Braves certainly didn’t enter the season thinking they’d take a chance on someone like Carrasco, who was designated for assignment in June after eight poor outings with the New York Yankees. But they were desperate after their entire opening day rotation ended up on the injured list all at once.
On July 28, the Braves acquired Carrasco from the Yankees for cash considerations. His first three starts in an Atlanta uniform did very little to validate that decision.
It appears, in fact, that those will be Carrasco’s only three starts in a Braves uniform. Atlanta announced Monday that the right-hander had been designated for assignment, as pitcher Hunter Stratton was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Carrasco, 38, is a well-respected 16-year major league veteran, having twice received Cy Young Award votes and winning the Roberto Clemente Award for humanitarian work and philanthropy in 2019.
In 335 career games, Carrasco has a record of 112-105, a 4.22 ERA, and 18.5 bWAR. He’s best known for his days with the Cleveland Guardians, but he also had a three-year stint with the New York Mets.
But after compiling a 5.91 ERA in New York, Carrasco was worse in Atlanta, allowing 15 runs on 22 hits in just 13 2/3 innings of work (9.88 ERA).
The Braves are just trying to get to the finish line this season, but the No. 1 thing they need from starting pitchers, especially if they’re not candidates to make the team next year, is innings.
Carrasco couldn’t handle that responsibility, so while the Braves will surely wish him well, it wasn’t a difficult decision to let him go.
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