The Atlanta Braves' series was successful in more ways than just wins and losses. Despite some struggles overall, the Braves not only won the series, but they also found a way to do so while giving high-leverage relievers Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez a good bit of rest along the way. That could be huge down the line this season, but it appears as though Atlanta is not content and wants to make sure they have plenty of fresh arms heading into the weekend.
In 2026, the default answer to who the Braves are going to call up or send down with any given roster move has been Carlos Carrasco. Atlanta clearly loves using him as a depth option and mentor, and Carrasco has not been in demand when DFA'd previously, so he has sorta become Jesse Chavez 2.0 where the only club that really wants him is the Braves. With each roster move, Carrasco has inevitably returned on a minor league deal before getting the call yet again and repeating the process all over again.
That pattern continued on Friday when Carrasco was designated for assignment (again) and called up RHP Anthony Molina.
The #Braves today recalled RHP Anthony Molina to Atlanta and designated RHP Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 29, 2026
Braves continue to shuffle Carlos Carrasco back and forth from the minors, with Anthony Molina being the latest call-up
This is purely going to get a fresh length relief arm. Carrasco threw four innings on Wednesday against Boston, so he isn't going to be available to pitch for a few days at least. By going and getting Molina, who has been a swingman type in the minor leagues this season, the Braves add some needed length, with Grant Holmes and Martin Perez slated to start the next two games.
However, Atlanta is starting to play with fire a bit here. Yes, Carrasco has slipped through the waiver wire the last few times, but he has actually performed pretty well and is getting more and more praise for the mentorship he has provided to some of the Braves' young pitchers. At this point, it wouldn't be shocking if a team tried to scoop Cookie up for some cheap veteran pitching depth.
Now, this move may look like one that is on the fringes of the roster that probably isn't going to matter, and in some ways, that is absolutely right. That said, the Braves have done a lot of good work to manage their bullpen thus far and seem to have hit mostly the right notes. One just hopes that they don't undo some of that good work and potentially lose an arm that has become increasingly important to their roster plans.
Add us as a preferred source on Google