Carlos Carrasco has not had this command on his pitches in years, and suddenly, his challenge for the New York Yankees’ No. 5 spot seems like more of a formality at this point.
The veteran right-hander, who turns 38 on Friday, became the first Yankees’ pitcher at spring training to go five innings in a start on Wednesday, keeping the Atlanta Braves off the scoreboard while allowing just two hits and one walk to go with three strikeouts.
“It feels really good, getting those pitches back like I used to pitch four or five years ago,” Carrasco said. “I know we had some rough years, and we learned from that.”
Carrasco was brought in on a minor-league deal to bolster the Yankees’ starting-pitching depth, which has been called upon almost immediately. Luis Gil is out for three months with a lat strain, and Gerrit Cole’s season is done after undergoing Tommy John surgery last week.
It left two open spots behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt at the bottom of the rotation. One spot went to Marcus Stroman — the veteran who the Yankees tried to trade all winter but could not get his $18 million off the books.
Carrasco has seemingly wrenched the other spot from Will Warren, posting a 1.49 ERA across 16 spring innings to go with 15 strikeouts.
“It’s been really good,” Carrasco said. “The only thing I can worry about is the way I go out and pitch. Getting my location and all the little details before the season starts, that’s what I’ve been doing the last two games.”
“He’s right in that mix,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I don’t want to speak too soon, but he’s done everything he can to give himself that opportunity.”
Carrasco’s spot in the rotation would be even more secure if Schmidt was not ready for Opening Day, which is a very real possibility. Battling a shoulder issue, the righty has just 1.2 innings of work under his belt during spring training and still has to properly ramp up to a normal workload. He was scheduled for a live batting practice session on Thursday.
