Carlos Carrasco he’s back with the Braves – again. Atlanta announced this morning that the veteran right-hander’s contract has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Carrasco was the one who opened a place in the list of 40 players released by the DFA yesterday for the player who plays outside. Jose Azocar. That’s right Victor Mederos selected Gwinnett to clear an active roster spot.
It’s Carrasco’s third of the season and fourth since last August. He and the Braves are comfortable with a system that sees the 39-year-old veteran operating effectively as the 41st man on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. They nominated Carrasco twice this season (three times since last August). Each time, he cleared waivers, opted for free agency and almost immediately re-signed a new league deal. That sequence seems to play out here as well.
Carrasco has fit in well in the Braves organization this season. He threw 2 1/3 shutout frames in the majors and worked to a flat 3.00 ERA in six starts (30 innings) at Gwinnett. Carrasco’s 90.4 mph average sinker and 91.1 mph average four-seamer with the Stripers are both the second-lowest marks of his career, but he still sports a respectable 21% strikeout rate with good walks and 5.6% and 51.1% groundball rates, respectively.
The Braves don’t need more height today. The bullpen is new. Chris Sale threw seven innings in a 9-1 win over the Marlins yesterday and was relieved by Mederos, who threw two scoreless frames to close out the game. Mederos probably wouldn’t be available today, so it’s no surprise to see him selected. Some Atlanta corps are off at least one day — and a few are off two or more days in a row now.
Carrasco will be available in free agency for a long time however Atlanta keeps him at a high level. A third DFA is probably close at some point, because it cannot be selected. The Braves had it Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes again Martín Pérez schedule their next four games. It’s clear that at some point Carrasco can’t let go because a team in need of a replacement picks him up based on his solid work in Triple-A, but as long as he continues to clear waivers, it looks like this Jesse Chavez-esque cycle will be the norm for him with the Braves in 2026.
