The New York Yankees have announced their 1-2 punch for the rotation and are very close to finalizing the five-man group of long-term arms that will be part of the Opening Day roster. Will Carlos Carrasco finally be among those five?
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that Cuban-American Carlos Rodón will take the ball for the season opener, replacing the injured ace Gerrit Cole.
Cole developed severe inflammation in his elbow, which turned out to be significant ligament damage. Tommy John surgery will sideline him for the entire season, a massive blow for New York. Dominican right-hander Luis Gil is also out with an injury and will miss the first few weeks of the campaign.
Rodón (featured in the photo for this article) and newly acquired Max Fried will start the Yankees’ first two games, according to Boone.
They will be followed by the talented Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman, who resisted a move to the bullpen and will see his wish fulfilled by remaining in the rotation.
The fifth spot remains a mystery. Young right-hander Will Warren appears to be the favorite (3-0, 1.54 ERA in three spring starts). However, there is already a debate in the Bronx regarding Venezuelan pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
Cookie signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and is in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. His performance in the Grapefruit League has also impressed (1-0, 2.35 ERA in three starts, plus a fourth scoreless outing against minor leaguers).
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If Carrasco doesn’t make the big-league roster, he is expected to start in Triple-A. However, he also has the right to request his release from the Yankees if he is not included on the Opening Day roster.
Photo: @yankees
