The Braves also picked right Carlos Carrasco by share. This time, his list position goes to the right hand James Karinchakoptioned his contract to Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta also fielded a right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation and recalled the righty JR Ritchie from Gwinnett instead.
Students should be familiar with this cycle by this time. Carrasco, 39, is not optionable so he should be drafted whenever the Braves want to send him to the minors. At this stage of his career, the former Cleveland ace is poised to serve as the 41st successful man on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. The team always selects his contract from the majors, designates him for assignment, passes him off waivers and re-signs him to a new major league contract once he elects to be a free agent. Then he was called up the next time Atlanta’s bullpen needed some length.
The cycle will repeat itself several times this season. Atlanta has now assigned Carrasco five times since last August. He re-signed a new minor league contract after each previous DFA and re-signed a minor league contract with the Braves as a free agent over the winter. The setup clearly works for both parties.
Carrasco has played well overall with the Braves this year, though he has been hit with a run in each of his last two games. He is still holding opponents to three runs on 10 hits and four walks in nine major league innings. His career at Gwinnett has been even more intense. In 30 frames with the Stripers, he has an identical 3.00 ERA but a much stronger strikeout rate of 21% compared to a clean 5.6% walk rate.
The 30-year-old Karinchak, who previously played with Cleveland’s Carrasco, will return to the majors for the first time since 2023. Karinchak looked like a potential bullpen in the Guardian at times, pitching to a 2.51 ERA with a 46.6% slugging percentage from his 1/3-201LB first frame through his 9/201LB 2012 LB first frame. Injuries and misunderstandings have brought him down. He still posted a 3.24 ERA in 133 1/3 innings from 2021-23, but Karinchak did so while walking more than 14% of his opponents and with a paltry (though still best) 33.9% strikeout rate.
Karinchak spent most of the 2024 season on the minor league injured list because of a shoulder problem, pitching just 6 2/3 innings that year. The fastball that averaged 97 mph during his MLB debut sat at 92.1 mph during that injury-plagued season. Cleveland removed him from the 40-man roster at that point, and he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. He pitched 29 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA for the South Siders’ Triple-A club in Charlotte, but Karinchak also walked about 17% of his opponents there and sat 92.7 mph on his heater. He was released in June and did not move on with another team until the Braves signed him this past December.
So far in 2026, Karinchak has pitched 25 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA matching his mark in Charlotte last season. He has kept his turnovers down, comparatively, giving away a free pass to 10% of his opponents. He struck out 38% of the batters he faced. His fastball velocity has yet to return to peak levels, but this year’s average of 93.8 mph is up significantly from his 2024-25 levels.
Karinchak still has a minor league option remaining, and if he can play a role in Atlanta’s bullpen, he can be dealt through the 2027 season through arbitration. That will depend on whether he can continue to show improved command/speed and whether he can avoid further injuries.
