When Carlos Carrasco signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal this offseason, his path to a roster spot looked virtually nonexistent — but as we’ve seen so often in this sport, things can change in a hurry.
Injuries to ace Gerrit Cole and reigning Rookie of the Year award winner Luis Gil have suddenly created a pair of huge openings in New York’s starting rotation.
Carrasco is coming off back-to-back rough campaigns to end his time with the Mets and in his return to Cleveland. But after making some changes to his mechanics over the offseason, he’s looked like a completely different pitcher this spring.
Suddenly, the 38-year-old finds himself square in the mix for a rotation spot.
“It’s been a really good camp for him,” manager Aaron Boone said on YES Network. “I think he came in in a good place both mentally and physically — the buildup has gone really smooth and he’s put himself right in the middle of the conversation.”
Carrasco has pitched to a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over his four spring appearances.
His latest one came on Friday night, when he allowed just one run on two hits while walking one and striking out a spring-high six batters in 3.1 innings of work against a lineup full of Phillies regulars, including slugger Kyle Schwarber.
The veteran reached into his full arsenal of pitches and generated seven swing-and-misses.
“That tells me I’m ready for the season,” Carrasco said on YES Network. “The fastball, the changeup, the slider, curveball, even the two-seamer. I got a strikeout with all of those pitches, that’s what you do in spring training. That’s what I’ve been working for and that’s what I did today.”
He did face some trouble in the first, as Schwarber led off the game with a walk and Max Kepler doubled to put two in scoring position with one out. But Aaron Judge gunned Schwarber down at the plate to help him dance out of danger.
Otherwise, Carrasco was terrific, giving up his lone run on a sacrifice fly.
“Another good night for him,” Boone added. “You see the swing and miss that he’s getting, it was the same way his last time out. It’s been a good build for him, I feel like there’s more power there than last year — it’s just been a really good camp.”
As things stand, Carrasco is likely competing with Marcus Stroman and Will Warren for one of the openings. But if he continues pitching like this, he’ll find himself back on the big-league mound in no time.
Whether you’re a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, we can all agree it’s easy to root for Carrasco.
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