It is fundamentally hilarious when the Atlanta Braves latch onto a player who isn't good enough to always keep on the roster, but they keep bringing him back over and over again. Some Braves fans will remember Kelly Johnson's multiple stints with the Braves, and almost everyone remembers how often Jesse Chavez would disappear from the roster only to pop back up again for years. Even by that standard, Carlos Carrasco's "journey" the last few days has been pretty wild.
Everything started last Friday when the Braves unsurprisingly designated Carrasco for assignment to call up Anthony Molina. A straightforward roster move based on Carrasco likely not being available for a while after a longer outing. However, the plot thickened when the Braves optioned Molina while outrighting Carrasco to the minors on Monday. Again, makes sense and made it clear that Carrasco had cleared waivers to the surprise of no one.
However, where it gets weird is with the Braves' corresponding move to optioning Molina that was announced on Tuesday. Despite just being DFA'd and outrighted to the minors, the Braves brought Carrasco back to the majors yet again.
The #Braves today selected RHP
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 2, 2026
Carlos Carrasco to the major league roster.
Braves continue to juggle Carlos Carrasco around with latest roster shuffle
Again, this is pretty funny. You don't see a player DFA'd for another player, outrighted, opting for free agency, and then immediately called upon to replace the same player in the original swap in a matter of days very often. However, the Braves are taking advantage of the rules governing outrighted and recently signed players here, and now it's as if they never had to DFA Carrasco at all.
However, these roster gymnastics are going to get harder soon. Atlanta is going to be getting Hurston Waldrep back before too long, and the team is actively shopping for more rotation help. One can also assume that Alex Anthopoulos is also looking around for potential bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline that is slowly creeping up on all of us. At some point, the Braves may be forced to make a final decision on Carrasco, especially as teams get more and more desperate for pitching help as the year goes on.
It is honestly unclear where the Braves will land with Carrasco. They clearly love having Carrasco around to provide some length in the bullpen as well as mentorship to their pitching staff. However, they also definitely don't think that Carrasco is good enough to occupy a big-league roster spot on the Braves permanently. Atlanta obviously doesn't have to decide right now, but that day is coming.