Yankees Veteran Starting Pitcher Has Predictably Been a Complete Disaster

The New York Yankees have only themselves to blame for the complete mess in their starting rotation.

Apr 8, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) walks off the field in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees dropped the first two games of the series against the Detroit Tigers after what was a dreadful performance from both the offense and pitching staff on Tuesday afternoon.

They should get a better start on Wednesday with Max Fried slated to take the hill, but there is a clear and gaping hole within their starting rotation, though it comes as no surprise to fans and should not be a shock to the team either.

Through three appearances and two starts, veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco is sporting a 7.71 ERA and 1.629 WHIP over 11.2 innings.

In 4.1 innings on Tuesday, Carrasco gave up six hits and four earned runs, including a complete mess of a fourth frame where he gave up three home runs within the span of four batters before he was finally pulled the following inning.

Struggles on the mound are nothing new for Carrasco, who signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on the heels of posting a 6.18 ERA in the previous two seasons over 41 starts with the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians.

That didn't stop New York from giving him an opportunity, however.

Granted, the Yankees were thrust into a tough spot following crippling injuries to their starting pitching staff during the spring, and a shockingly strong camp from Carrasco forced their hand when it came to filling out the rotation.

When long-term injuries were suffered by both Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, as well as Clarke Schmidt missing the start of the season, there wasn't much of a choice other than to select Carassco.

The strong spring from the veteran has proven to have been fool's gold, however, and now New York once again looks like they did not do enough to address their weaknesses.

Rather than making a trade for someone who was capable of elevating a starting rotation and complimenting an offense that has been very strong through the first two weeks, the Yankees decided to try to solve the issue internally, and the gamble is not paying off.

At the age of 38 and coming off two poor seasons, Carrasco is not a Major League starter anymore.

For some reason, everyone besides New York's organization seemed to realize that, and the lack of foresight has come back to bite them and will continue to cost them games if they keep throwing him out there.

Until reinforcements arrive, the Yankees have made their own bed with how they approached the season and are going to have to keep sleeping in it.