Yankees dump pitcher immediately after Dodgers series, raising Luke Weaver questions

Luke Weaver's final appearance before feeling his hamstring pinch was in the middle of a disastrous blowout, an uncharacteristic usage for his 14 pitches (one of which became a solo home run). That same blowout necessitated the roster churn that brought Carlos Carrasco back from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, where he held a 9.95 ERA in two brief starts.

Carrasco's arrival always seemed like pure insurance for the potential that Sunday's game was going to head further off the rails. Thankfully, Ryan Yarbrough steadied the ship and helped the Yankees show fortitude in salvaging the finale. Of course ... there's always a twist, and when Weaver came up lame before the ninth inning, it seemed plausible they'd keep Carrasco around a bit longer (if they didn't want to opt for a higher-upside possibility).

On Monday, though, the Yankees made the initially expected move to send Carrasco to outright waivers, ending his second Yankee tenure in just one day, Adam Ottavino-style. The expectation is, according to MLB insider Joel Sherman, that Fernando Cruz will replace him on Tuesday before the Yankees take on the Guardians.

So ... what does that mean for Weaver?

Yankees send Carlos Carrasco to waivers after one game in LA

Does Sherman's report suggest that Weaver checked out alright on the return flight, and will resume his dominance? The Cruz-Carrasco swap would be much more beneficial than a Cruz-WeavDog draw.

Or does this mean that the Yankees had every intention of upgrading Carrasco's spot no matter what, but that a second move is coming for Weaver? Allan Winans and Clayton Beeter were both unavailable to fill in Sunday, but theoretically will be ready for the rest of the week.

Weaver's ERA climbed above 1.00 in recent days, and he was recently used five times in seven games. He may need a breather, but Monday's roster shuffle has increased the hope that he won't need anything more than that.

Of course, there are still nearly 24 hours before the Yankees need to set anything in stone. All we know now is that their desperation heave on Sunday didn't end up being necessary, and that Carrasco's a very good soldier for taking a cross-country flight.