It’s no secret the New York Yankees are dealing with multiple injuries in their starting rotation.
Gerrit Cole is out for the season. Luis Gil is going to miss the early part of the year and isn’t expected back until summer. Clarke Schmidt picked up a shoulder injury which put his Opening Day status in question.
Now, it’s confirmed the latter will also join the other two starters on the injured list.
Per Greg Joyce of The New York Post, general manager Brian Cashman stated that Schmidt won’t be ready for the start of the season. Same with reliever Ian Hamilton.
That’s not a huge surprise.
Schmidt hasn’t had the requisite time to build into the year after picking up this shoulder issue, so starting him in the minors to ensure he’s ready for the long season is a smart move considering all the injuries New York has already sustained.
Who will replace the right-hander on the roster is veteran Carlos Carrasco.
Jack Curry of YES Network first reported the news, something that was later confirmed by Cashman to Joyce regarding the team’s plan to add Carrasco to their roster ahead of his opt-out date that came on March 22.
The 38-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in February and was a non-roster invite to camp. But with the injuries and his performance — a 1.69 in five outings and 16 innings — he will now get another chance in The Show.
Carrasco has struggled the past two years after posting an ERA+ that was 52 points above the league average of 100 with the New York Mets in 2022.
During the last two seasons, he has had a 6.80 and 5.64 ERA, respectively.
How he performs with New York is anyone’s guess, but with three projected starters out for Opening Day, turning to the veteran starter is not a bad option.
