Yankees’ old workhorse is running out of gas—and it’s becoming a problem

There’s something sobering about watching a once-great arm lose its edge.

That’s what the New York Yankees are facing every time Carlos Carrasco takes the mound in 2025.

At 38 years old, Carrasco was never supposed to be anything more than an emergency option in spring training.

But with Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, and now Marcus Stroman sidelined, he’s gone from placeholder to crucial rotation piece.

It’s a role he’s physically holding but not thriving in — a stopgap in every sense of the word.

Carrasco is doing just enough to get by, but the numbers paint a much uglier picture beneath the surface.

The performance against Baltimore was no outlier

Carrasco lasted just 3.1 innings against the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing eight hits and four earned runs.

Two of those hits left the park, and his 66-pitch outing was more survival exercise than anything else.

That pushed his season ERA to 5.90 over 29 innings — a number that reflects exactly what he is right now.

He ranks in the 13th percentile in strikeout rate and 11th percentile in whiff rate, rarely fooling anyone at the plate.

The contact hitters are making is vicious — often barreled and elevated, with very little weak contact to show for.

Carrasco leans on a deep arsenal, but outside of one pitch, it’s mostly becoming target practice for opponents.

His changeup remains his best weapon, holding hitters to a .100 average and slugging percentage this season.

Everything else has crumbled.

His slider is getting demolished, giving up a .308 average and a massive .692 slugging rate.

The sinker isn’t saving him either, surrendering a .281 average with a .469 slugging clip that regularly puts him in danger.

His four-seamer and curveball are almost irrelevant at this stage, offering no real deception or bite in key moments.

Opponents are sitting on pitches in the zone and rarely missing when they get something to drive.

There’s no sugarcoating it — the Yankees are asking their offense to carry Carrasco every time he takes the mound.

That’s not a recipe for long-term success, especially with important division games piling up on the schedule.

The Yankees dropped two of three to Baltimore and now face a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.

They’ll need bounce-back performances from the rest of the rotation until Gil returns and reshuffles the hierarchy.

Once Gil is back, Carrasco will likely be pushed to the bullpen — or possibly even off the roster entirely.

Carrasco is not a long-term option. He was never meant to be one — and the Yankees know it.

They’re simply buying time until healthier arms return or a trade gives them new life in the back end.

Until then, every Carrasco start requires a near-perfect offensive outburst — and that’s not a fair ask in May.