Carlos Carrasco to Make Yankees' Opening Day Roster Amid Contract Opt-Out Deadline

The New York Yankees reportedly are adding Carlos Carrasco to their 40-man roster, meaning the starting pitcher will bypass the opt-out clause in his minor-league deal.

Had Carrasco not made the team's roster, he could have opted out of his deal and signed elsewhere.

The move doesn't come as much of a surprise. New York's rotation has been hit hard by injuries, with Gerrit Cole out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil recovering from a lat strain and Clarke Schmidt starting the season on the injured list due to shoulder fatigue.

The 38-year-old Carrasco has impressed, meanwhile, posting a 1.69 ERA during spring training with 15 strikeouts in 16 innings. It's been a far cry from the 5.64 ERA he posted with the Cleveland Guardians in 21 starts last season, or the 6.80 ERA he had in 20 starts with the New York Mets in 2023.

His last strong campaign came in 2022, when he was 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 152 strikeouts in 152 innings for the Mets.

In his prime years, Carrasco was a solid middle-of-the-rotation option for the Guardians, though in recent years he's been far less consistent on a year-to-year basis. The Yankees are hoping he has another solid season in the tank, however, with a rotation that will start the 2025 season incredibly shorthanded.

"He's right in that mix," manager Aaron Boone told reporters earlier this week about Carrasco making the team. "I don't want to speak too soon, but he's done everything he can to give himself that opportunity."

And now it appears he's getting it.