The Atlanta Braves designated veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment on Friday, according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. Atlanta opened the roster spot to recall righty Anthony Molina from Triple‑A Gwinnett.
This is Carrasco’s fourth DFA since last August, and each previous time he cleared waivers, elected free agency, and re-signed with Atlanta on a minor-league deal. The Braves have used him as a flexible depth arm who can be cycled on and off the roster as needed.
Chris Sale did not feel close to full strength during his last outing.
It didn’t show against the Athletics.
The Atlanta Braves ace delivered six dominant innings, allowing just one hit — a solo home run by Shea Langeliers — in a 5-1 win last Wednesday.
Now 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA, the veteran left-hander is set to take the ball again Monday night as Atlanta opens a three-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.
“He was sick as a dog. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to make that start,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Sale last week in an article written to CBS Sports. “I was hoping to be able to get three innings out of him — best-case scenario, probably four. He just couldn’t keep anything down (in his stomach) — he’s a mess. It was touch-and-go before the game. (Source)
“But true to form, he takes the ball and goes out there and gives us six innings, one hit. Hall of Famers, they just operate differently, and that’s what he (likely) is. It was an unbelievable performance.”
Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, recognized early that his usual velocity was not there during pregame warmups, with his fastball sitting in the low 90s instead of the typical mid-90s range.
“You’re not going to have your best stuff every time, so I really tried to focus on raising my focus,” Sale said. “Reaching for more stuff when it’s not there is not really a way … to win this game. Just really focused (more on location) than trying to out-stuff guys.”
He leaned on precision and pitch mix, getting key support from catcher Drake Baldwin, who drove in four runs in the victory.
“He’s been doing it forever — that’s why he’s as good as he is,” Baldwin said of the 37-year-old Sale. “He’s able to lean on some other pitches when he might not have the same (velocity) all the time on his fastball. But the changeup and the slider, being able to throw it for strikes and execute down in the zone, kept (the A’s) off balance and allowed him to get through six innings.”
Sale finished with three strikeouts and no walks, continuing a strong track record against the Angels. He enters Monday’s matchup with an 8-0 record and a 1.24 ERA in 11 career appearances against them.
Atlanta arrives in Anaheim after dropping two one-run games over the weekend in Arizona, while the Angels carry momentum following back-to-back one-run wins against Seattle.
Los Angeles secured an 8-7 victory in 11 innings Sunday on Nolan Schanuel’s sacrifice fly but had a tense moment when Mike Trout exited after being hit on the back of the left hand by a Casey Legumina pitch.
X-rays came back negative, and Trout is listed as day-to-day.
“After looking at how swollen it got, it scared me,” said Trout, a three-time American League MVP and an 11-time All-Star. “So I’m just relieved it’s not broken.”
Despite Trout being hit twice in the series, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki dismissed any notion of intent.
“Balls slip,” Suzuki said. “It’s baseball. Like I said the other night, it’s part of the game. Obviously, you don’t want him to get hit. Or see Mike get hurt. But at the same time, you understand, I was a catcher, that they’re trying to get guys out.”
The Angels will counter with right-hander Jose Soriano, who enters at 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has posted a 1.54 ERA in three previous appearances against Atlanta.
When the Atlanta Braves handed outfielder Diego Tornes a $2.5 million signing bonus in January, they believed they had landed one of the premier bats in the 2025 international class. Just months later, the17-year-old switch-hitter is already showing why scouts were so high on him.
Tornes, standing at 6-foot-2 with a projectable frame, has drawn early comparisons to Anthony Santander thanks to his offensive profile — an advanced approach, bat speed, and the potential for middle-of-the-order power. While the Braves’ recent history with big-money international position player signings has been underwhelming, Tornes may be poised to reverse that trend.
Through his first 32 games in the Dominican Summer League, Tornes is slashing .279/.395/.402 with five triples and 24 stolen bases. He’s yet to homer, but his ability to get on base, control the strike zone, and use his speed on the base-paths is already standing out.
The Braves aren’t focused on stats at this stage — the DSL is about acclimating to the pro game — but the 17-year-old is already translating his tools into live-game success. His next step will be maintaining his hit tool as he adds muscle, a development that could unlock his projected power and cement him as a potential five-tool player.
Signed out of Cuba by former MLB outfielder Alex Sanchez’s Dominican academy, the young outfielder already projects as a prototypical right fielder with the tools to impact the game on both sides of the ball. Tornes possesses above-average arm strength and fluid defensive actions suggest he could handle a corner spot long-term, while his plus speed gives him range that plays in all three outfield positions. Offensively, Tornes’ advanced strike-zone discipline and ability to produce hard contact from both sides of the plate provide a strong foundation for his hit tool, with the expectation that added strength to his 6-foot-2 frame will unlock above-average game power. If those developmental benchmarks are met, he profiles as a middle-of-the-order run producer — the kind of international signee the Braves have been seeking to anchor their lineup for years.
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