Outrighted Braves Veteran Pitcher Elects Free Agency

The Atlanta Braves opted to keep him in the system, but the right-hander instead chose the route where he could explore all options

The Braves would need to re-sign this pitcher to bring him back into the system | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are without a veteran starting pitching option, at least for the time being. They announced that they outrighted Carlos Carrasco to Triple-A, but he opted to elect free agency.

Carrasco was designated for assignment on Tuesday to make room on the active roster for Raisel Iglesias. The Braves' closer was reinstated from the 15-day injured list with a shoulder injury.

It's the second time this season that Carrasco has been placed on waivers to be removed from the 40-man roster. Last time, he elected free agency as well, and he ultimately re-signed.

We'll see what his fate is soon enough. He isn't listed on the Gwinnett Stripers' roster at this time. So, at the very least, if he's coming back, it hasn't been made official. He could also choose to sign elsewhere if he gets the right offer.

That's part of the strategy of electing free agency. They can see if a major league offer comes their way, or if they can sign into a system that may bring a better offer, even on a minor league contract. If the best situation is to stay in the Braves system, like last time, he'll end up doing so.

Since he had been outrighted, the Braves have interest in keep him around for depth purposes.

Carrasco has given the Braves two scoreless outings this season out of the bullpen, most recently in Monday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners. Down in Triple-A, he's had a 1.71 ERA across four starts (21 innings pitched).

The Braves have Thursday off, but they head down to Los Angeles for a road series against the Dodgers starting on Friday. Going up against the reigning back-to-back champions will provide a nice test and a solid statement coming off their first series loss of the season.

Chris Sale will be on the mound for a 10:10 p.m. EDT first pitch.

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