Yankees promote absolute last pitcher fans wanted to see before finale with Dodgers

After a Will Warren start so disastrous that it required the New York Yankees to empty out their entire bullpen, only to fall 18-2 and provide next-to-no resistance anyhow, it was assumed that the Yankees might switch up their Sunday pitching plan. At the very least, they'd have to add an additional arm, if not swap out Ryan Yarbrough for someone who could provide a bit more length (and upside?) in Carlos Rodón.

Instead of doing anything drastic, though, the Yankees instead chose to use one of their two open 40-man roster spots - which they were very lucky to have, for this exact reason - on Carlos Carrasco, their former rotation member who they designated for assignment earlier in May.

Carrasco returned to the system unclaimed, and spent time at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as he watched Yarbrough absorb his rotation spot with aplomb and stretch himself out.

Now, he'll sit in the bullpen and potentially caddy Yarbrough on Sunday, if the game is out of reach and his services are needed.

Jack Curry, as he often is, was first to this somewhat unexciting news.

Yankees promote Carlos Carrasco for Sunday series finale vs. Dodgers

It's no great surprise that this is the direction the Yankees went in on short notice. Higher-upside options like Allan Winans and Clayton Beeter both pitched on Saturday in minor-league action, and Scott Effross represented the only other available 40-man solution New York could've turned to. He's hardly a sure thing, at this juncture, and wouldn't be able to provide bulk anyhow.

Carrasco's presence won't excite fans, but they should bear in mind he's only with the Yankees on Sunday because he's highly expendable. They don't want to break that glass or suffer the same emergency fate they had to go through on Saturday night, but with Yarbrough and his (more than likely) five-inning cap, they need to have an option in the bullpen who can step up and save high-leverage relievers from being forced to wade into another absolute mess.

The Yankees' faults were plainly laid bare by a hungry Dodgers team this weekend. But bringing in Carrasco doesn't expose another one. He's merely their latest sacrificial lamb, even if fans were hoping they'd never see him jog out from the 'pen again.