The New York Yankees started spring training with the hope that Gerrit Cole would anchor one of baseball's top starting rotations. The ace's injury drastically reduces the ceiling of manager Aaron Boone's starting five, but Carlos Carrasco's strong spring does help raise its floor.
The 37-year-old right-hander isn't going to make any Yankee fan forget about Cole (or Luis Gil for that matter), but he's been dominant for the club down in Florida. His most recent outing against a strong Atlanta Braves squad may have been his best, going five innings without giving up a run against a lineup featuring most of Atlanta's regulars.
Carlos Carrasco had another AMAZING start tonight against the Braves⚡️
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) March 19, 2025
5.0 IP | 2 H | 0 ER | 3 K | 1 BB | 54 P | 33 S
His spring training ERA is down to 1.69👀#Yankees pic.twitter.com/7NphqIoVzh
The Yankees will be without two of the five pitchers they thought would be in their rotation on Opening Day. Cole is out for the season while last year's Rookie of the Year, Gil, will also start the campaign on the Injured List. The absence of those two starters opened the door for Carrasco to force his way onto the Major-League roster despite the fact that he isn't currently on the team's 40-man roster.
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Carlos Carrasco seems destined to win spot in Yankees rotation
Interestingly, Carrasco might not be the only surprising pitcher to begin the year in Boone's starting rotation. A minor interruption to Clarke Schmidt's preseason work is opening the door for Will Warren to break spring training with the big-league club. He has a better chance of being a long-term piece than Carrasco since he's still just 25 years of age and was a top prospect once upon a time.
Carrasco won't mind the company. He entered spring training as a longshot to make the Yankees roster; that's why he and his agents insisted on an early opt-out date to force New York's hand. In the end, it won't have much impact on what the organization decides to do with his rights.
The odds are stacked against Carrasco staying in the starting rotation for a full 162-game season, but his ability to eat innings in the early going could have a long-lasting impact for the Yankees' pitching staff. If he can continue to pitch as well as he has in the spring for any length of time it will give New York a much-needed boost.