Braves designate Carlos Carrasco for assignment for the fourth time since last August

What happened

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been designated for assignment, with righty Anthony Molina recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place on the roster. Per the club's announcement, this marks the fourth time since last August that Atlanta has moved Carrasco off the active roster in this fashion.

The move follows a pattern that has become something of a recurring seasonal ritual in the Braves' bullpen management. On each of the three prior occasions, Carrasco passed through waivers unclaimed, elected free agency, and subsequently re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league deal. He also inked a minor league pact with the club over the winter after becoming a free agent at season's end, setting the stage for yet another turn of the same wheel.

Why it matters

Without the option years that give clubs flexibility to shuttle younger arms between the majors and Triple-A, Carrasco occupies a particular niche in modern roster construction — one that is increasingly familiar around the league. MLB Trade Rumors notes that this type of arrangement for veteran arms who can no longer be optioned has grown more commonplace in recent years.

The structure works like this: a veteran pitcher without options cannot simply be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. If he clears — meaning no other club claims him — he can be outrighted to the minors or, as in Carrasco's case, released to elect free agency and then re-signed to a minor league deal. That minor league contract keeps him off the 40-man roster entirely, allowing the club to carry him as a depth option at Triple-A without occupying a protected roster spot until he is needed. When a need arises, the club adds him to the 40-man, activates him, and the cycle begins again.

Is this actually a strategy, or just a coincidence?

It is, per MLB Trade Rumors, very much a strategy — and Atlanta is not alone in running it. The outlet identifies the Mariners with Casey Lawrence, the Yankees with Ryan Weber and David Hale, and the Orioles with Albert Suarez as clubs that have operated similarly in recent years. The Braves themselves have done it not only with Carrasco but also with Jesse Chavez. The informal label MLB Trade Rumors applies to the role is the "41st man" — a veteran who repeatedly clears waivers, re-signs on a minor league deal, and serves as a depth arm available to the 26-man roster when circumstances demand.

The economics are straightforward enough. A minor league deal does not count against the 40-man roster, which means the club preserves that protected spot for a prospect or a player they want to shield from the Rule 5 draft. The veteran gets continued employment and a path back to the majors. The club gets a known quantity in Triple-A who can be activated quickly. Everyone, in theory, understands the arrangement — and Carrasco has now re-entered it four times in roughly nine months.

The numbers

Atlanta enters this series at 94-68 (.580), sitting first in the NL East and leading the division. The Braves are carrying a streak of L1 into a three-game road set at Cincinnati.

Where the club stands

First place in the NL East at 94-68 is a comfortable perch, and the upcoming schedule offers a reasonable opportunity to steady things. The Braves are in Cincinnati for three games at Great American Ball Park, with Grant Holmes lined up against Chris Paddack on Friday, Martín Pérez opposing Brady Singer on Saturday, and Spencer Strider taking the ball against Nick Lodolo on Sunday.

The rotation picture is relatively settled for this series, which is part of what makes the Carrasco-Molina swap legible as a depth adjustment rather than an emergency measure. Anthony Molina, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, steps into a bullpen that will be asked to support those three starters over the weekend.

What we don't know yet

The announcement does not specify what happens next for Carrasco. Based on the pattern MLB Trade Rumors describes — three prior trips through waivers unclaimed, three prior returns on minor league deals — the most familiar outcome would be another pass through the waiver wire, another election of free agency, and another minor league pact with Atlanta. But that sequence is not guaranteed, and no timetable or next step has been reported.

It is also not yet known what role Molina will be asked to fill in the bullpen, or how long he is expected to remain on the active roster. The recall is reported; the usage plan is not.

What to watch

The immediate question is whether any club claims Carrasco off waivers this time. In three prior trips through the process since last August, he passed through unclaimed each time — but waivers are a 48-hour window, and roster needs shift. If he clears again, the question becomes whether Atlanta extends another minor league offer and whether Carrasco accepts it, as he has done repeatedly.

On the Molina side, the Cincinnati series will offer an early look at how the Braves deploy their newest recalled arm. A three-game road set against the Reds, with the rotation already set, puts the bullpen in focus — and Molina's role in it will be worth tracking as the club works through the weekend.

The broader "41st man" dynamic is also worth watching as the season deepens. Roster limits expand from 26 to 28 players on September 1 under general league rules, which historically changes the calculus on which depth arms get added and when. Whether that expansion affects how Atlanta manages this particular arrangement — or whether Carrasco finds himself back in a Braves uniform before then — remains an open question that the next few days of waiver activity will begin to answer.

For now, the Braves are in first place, heading to Cincinnati, and once again in the familiar position of having moved Carrasco off the roster. The paperwork, at least, is well-practiced.