Yankees Waive Veteran Starter Amid Injury News: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Yankees continued to shift around their pitching depth on June 2, as reported news of veteran starter Carlos Carrasco hitting waivers again surfaced on X.
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Carrasco only rejoined the Yankees’ active roster on June 1, as the Pinstripes elected to call him back up after exhausting much of their bullpen on Saturday.
The Yankees did not end up needing Carrasco for the Sunday Night Baseball matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, meaning he will not take the mound during his latest brief stint in the majors.
Veteran starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco pitches for the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in 2025.Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
New York Post insider Joel Sherman reported the Carrasco news on Monday, and he added that this move hints at an injury returnee being activated in his place.
“Source: Not unexpectedly, Carlos Carrasco was with the Yankees for just 1 day as pitching depth protection and was placed on outright waivers,” Sherman relayed. “With no unexpected setbacks, the NYY were lined up to activate Fernando Cruz from the IL on Tuesday.”
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Getting Cruz back will be key for the Yankees’ bullpen going forward.
Before his injury, Cruz maintained a 2.66 ERA over the first 21 appearances of his 2025 campaign and Yankees tenure. The 35-year-old reliever also struck out a ridiculous 35 batters in just 23.2 innings pitched, yielding a strikeouts per nine average of 13.3.
Of course, with Yankees closer Luke Weaver suffering a hamstring injury while stretching on Sunday night, according to manager Aaron Boone, Cruz’s return could be even more vital over the next few games.
It’s currently unclear if Weaver will require a stint on the injured list. As of now, it seems Weaver was pulled from entering the game on Sunday out of precaution, but we’ll wait and see if there’s more to this injury.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.