New York Yankees Could Turn to Veteran Right-Hander For Rotation Depth

With the injuries on the New York Yankees pitching staff, they may need to turn to this veteran right-hander for help this season.

Feb 16, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) warms up during a spring training workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

It has been a challenging spring training for the New York Yankees with injuries mounting for the team before the start of the regular season. 

Despite having a great offseason, the Yankees have been hit hard by the injury bug this spring and the team’s depth is being challenged very early. 

Fortunately, even though losing key players is never ideal, some players are performing well in spring training and might be called upon to play in the majors. 

Recently, the starting rotation for New York took two significant blows with Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole both getting injured. While the timetable for Gil is looking like the summer, Cole’s prognosis has yet to be determined. 

However, as the ace of the Yankees misses time, it will only push back a potential debut for him, if there is one at all in 2025. 

With the team being two starters down already before the start of the season, they are going to need some players to step up. One obvious choice is Will Warren, who has pitched excellently this spring. 

However, another option that has been performing well is veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco. 

The Yankees decided to take a flyer on the 37-year-old this winter, and now they might end up having to use him. 

Carrasco has had a very strong career in the majors, but hasn’t pitched well in recent years with the New York Mets or Cleveland Guardians. 

While the sample size is small, he has looked great for New York this spring, and is quite possibly earning himself a spot in the starting rotation due to recent injuries. 

So far this spring, Carrasco has allowed just two runs in 7.2 innings of work, and has racked up six strikeouts. 

While it isn’t ideal that the Yankees are going to have to entertain the possibility of having the 37-year-old making the Opening Day roster, the choices are rather slim. 

Currently, the projected rotation is Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, and Warren. The once potentially dominant staff of New York looks like a shell of itself and Carrasco could be in line to potentially start games for the Yankees. 

As a veteran, he should be prepared and ready to go, and perhaps he is finally healthy and still has something left in the tank. 

Considering how poorly Stroman has pitched this spring, Carrasco might be the better option going into the campaign. 

Hopefully, the Cole injury isn’t as bad as it could be, but if it is, the Yankees at least have someone who has impressed this spring.