Veteran righty Carlos Carrasco is heading back to Atlanta on a minor league deal, according to his MLB.com transaction tracker. He was bumped off the roster earlier this week, along with right-hander JR Ritchie, when relievers Tyler Kinley and Ian Hamilton joined the team. Carrasco passed through waivers and elected free agency, then quickly re-upped with the Braves.
By now, readers are very familiar with the story of Carrasco’s season. The 39-year-old righty has been designated for assignment five times in 2026. Each time, he’s cleared waivers, elected free agency, and re-signed with Atlanta on a new minor league pact. That effectively makes him the 41st man on the roster and allows the Braves to bring him up as a fresh arm without sacrificing long-term roster flexibility. Carrasco’s years of service time keep him from being optioned without his consent, but he’s obviously comfortable with this arrangement.
Working around those designations, Carrasco has thrown 14 2/3 innings over seven appearances for Atlanta. He has a 3.68 ERA in that sample. Carrasco has only struck out six hitters this year, and the resulting 9.8% strikeout rate is well below league average and Carrasco’s own output in recent years. He’s partly compensating by limiting walks, having walked a single batter in those 14 2/3 innings. Lack of strikeouts aside, though, Carrasco has filled his role as an innings eater out of the bullpen whenever he’s been called upon.
It’s likely that the Braves will bring up Carrasco within the next few days. Out of his previous four designations in 2026, only once did it take longer than a week for Carrasco to be selected once he was re-signed. The other three times, he was back in the Majors within three days. Grant Holmes provided four innings in relief of Bryce Elder yesterday. In the two games before that, Braves relievers combined for 11 of 18 possible innings. Carrasco has thrown at least 30 pitches in his last four appearances and could provide multiple innings if needed.
Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke, Imagn Images
