Braves Select Carlos Carrasco, Option Right-Hander

MIAMI – The Atlanta Braves announced on social media Thursday that they have selected right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the major league roster and have optioned right-handed pitcher Víctor Mederos to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Carrasco, 39, has made a pair of appearances for the Braves this season out of the bullpen. He has 2.1 innings pitched, where he has not allowed a run and just one hit while striking out a pair of batters.

The reliever was first brought in to be a fresh arm in the bullpen back on May 2 after some injuries hit the group, but was designated for assignment later that week (May 7) to make room for Raisel Iglesias. He opted for free agency, but re-signed with the Braves on May 8 after clearing waivers.

The reliever has a career ERA of 4.22 over 337 games in the big leagues. Carrasco has appeared in six games in the minors this season, where he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 30.0 innings pitched.

Mederos saw his first action as an Atlanta Brave on Wednesday night and had a strong outing. He completed two scoreless innings, allowing just a single baserunner (walk). The Braves acquired him back in April from the Angels in exchange for international bonus pool money.

Over his nine appearances for the Stripers, Mederos is 1-2 with a 4.81 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 24.1 innings pitched.

Since he will be unavailable tonight, the Braves went ahead and swapped him for the fresh arm of Carrasco, who will now be available for long relief.

The Braves’ bullpen has been under a lot of pressure over the last several weeks, and they have been forced to cycle through several different arms over the first two months of the season. 23 different pitchers have made at least one appearance for the club (for context, they used 46 last year over the full 162 games).

The combination of Mederos and Chris Sale did them a major favor last night. The pair combined for a full nine innings of work and shut down the Marlins' bats.

The Braves will play the Marlins tonight in the final tilt of their four-game series in Miami as the club looks to win series No. 14 this season. Spencer Strider will pick up the ball tonight for Atlanta, and he will square off with Marlins starter Sandy Alcántara.

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