Atlanta Braves DFA 17-Year Veteran Pitcher

April 30, 2026
Atlanta Braves pitcher Carlos Carrasco reacts during 2025 game.

The Atlanta Braves designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment, reinstating left-hander Dylan Lee from the paternity list in the corresponding move while keeping rookie Didier Fuentes on the active roster.

It is the second consecutive year the Braves have DFA'd Carrasco, and the sequence of events this time around was almost identical to last summer.

Atlanta needed a multi-inning arm in an emergency, called up the 39-year-old veteran, used him for one appearance, and then moved him back out as soon as a more permanent option became available.

Carrasco's one outing this season was a scoreless inning against the Nationals on April 23 in which he retired the side in order to close out a series win.

He had not appeared in a game since, and with Lee returning Wednesday, there was simply no roster spot for him to occupy.

The Braves selected Carrasco's contract on April 22 after Dylan Dodd went on the IL with left thoracic spine inflammation, needing a long-relief option behind top pitching prospect JR Ritchie in his major league debut.

With nine pitchers currently on Atlanta's injured list, the depth management decisions have been constant all season.

A 17-Year Career That Has Found Its Level

Carrasco opened the 2026 season with four strong starts at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 1.71 ERA across 21 innings with a 20.7 percent strikeout rate and a 5.7 percent walk rate, numbers that earned him the call when Atlanta needed a warm body in an emergency.

The big league version of Carrasco is a different story.

He has not posted an ERA below 5.64 in the majors since 2023, and his three starts with Atlanta last summer produced 15 earned runs across 13.2 innings before the Braves cut him loose, only for him to elect free agency, clear waivers, and then re-sign with the organization on a new minor league deal days later.

The same cycle will likely repeat itself this week.

Carrasco has more than 14 years of big league service across parts of 17 seasons, a career 4.22 ERA, and a 24 percent strikeout rate over 1,300-plus major league innings with Cleveland, the Mets, the Yankees, and Atlanta.

He is a Triple-A starter now, and a useful one, but the gap between what he does in Gwinnett and what he does in Atlanta has been consistent enough that the Braves will probably not need another emergency call-up before their injured rotation returns.

The Braves are 21-9 and sitting comfortably atop the NL East despite the injuries.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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