The Braves have brought Carlos Carrasco and Maverick Handley back to the organization on minor league contracts, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Both players were dropped from the 40-man roster last week.
Carrasco’s return felt inevitable, as he’s been on and off the roster all season. The only question was whether he’d sign a minor league contract or jump directly back onto the MLB roster after he elected free agency. Carrasco will probably be back up before long, especially after the Spencer Strider injury. That pushed JR Ritchie back into the rotation, so they may want another long man alongside Reynaldo López in the bullpen.
The 39-year-old Carrasco has made five MLB appearances this season, working nine innings of three-run ball. He has started six games with Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing 3.00 earned runs per nine across 30 frames. Carrasco has fanned 21% of opponents against a 5.6% walk rate.
Handley is back in the system as a depth catcher. Atlanta released him when they activated Hurston Waldrep from the 60-day injured list and needed to open a 40-man roster spot. Handley was injured at the time and has only played five games since the Braves claimed him off waivers from Baltimore in late May.
The Braves welcomed Drake Baldwin back from injury today. That pushes Sandy León to the backup role, leading Atlanta to outright Austin Wynns off the roster. (The Wynns move also opened a 40-man spot if the Braves want to re-select Carrasco’s contract and option Anthony Molina.) If Wynns reports to Gwinnett, that’d drop Handley to no higher than fourth on the organizational depth chart once he’s healthy.
