The Philadelphia Phillies are stuck in a rut after being one of baseball's hottest teams throughout May. After going 19-6 to begin the month, the Phillies are on a four-game losing streak to begin June, which includes being outscored 28-11 on aggregate while being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Fortunately, Monday is an off-day for Rob Thomson's squad, giving them some time to get their heads back on correctly. As the Phillies contemplate how to get back on track, one of the club's former pitchers just landed another MLB opportunity with one of the American League's top teams.
Former Phillies RHP Carlos Carrasco Promoted by Yankees
The Phillies have rostered a lot of players whom fans have forgotten about throughout their history, including Carlos Carrasco. The former AL wins leader began his MLB career as an undrafted free agent with Philadelphia in 2003 before being traded to Cleveland six years later in the deal that brought former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the City of Brotherly Love.
Having said that, Carassco's last few seasons in the Majors have been a bumpy ride, which continued this season when he was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees in early May. Although his struggles on the mound are well-documented, that isn't stopping the Bronx Bombers from giving the ex-Phillies hurler another opportunity.
Before Sunday's 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees announced that Carrasco had been promoted back to the MLB roster from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Only time will tell when he'll make his first big-league outing after last appearing on May 6.
Carrasco, 38, cracked the Yankees' Opening Day lineup after signing a minor-league deal in February. The veteran Venezuelan pitcher struggled to prove his worth, unfortunately, going 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA and 1.531 WHIP before being buried in the minors for nearly a month.
Things didn't get much better for the former Phillies RHP upon his change in scenery. He pitched to a putrid 9.95 ERA in two outings (6 1/3 innings) with the RailRiders, leaving time to reveal if he can put those poor performances in the rearview now that he's back in the Majors.
Baseball, like most sports, is a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" business. If Carassco can't prove to the Yankees that they were justified in recalling him, the ex-Phillies prospect might be given another ticket out of the Big Apple sooner rather than later.