NYY vs. PHI: Carlos Carrasco vs. Taijuan Walker

14/03/2025 23:53

Carlos Carrasco (not Allan Winans) gets the start for the starting pitching-bereft Yankees.

Spring training continues apace this St. Patrick's Day weekend. To kick off the festivities, the Yankees host the Phillies tonight in Tampa.

Until the Yankees' lineup was posted, it looked like Allan Winans would get the start for New York since he was listed by MLB as the Yankees' probable pitcher. Designated for assignment 37 days ago by the Yankees, he could be important rotation depth for a club missing 2024 AL Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil for a few months and staff ace and 2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole for all of 2025.

However, Winans will not get the nod on this night. The New York lineup revealed veteran Carlos Carrasco getting the ball to start instead of Winans. So either Winans is hurt, he's pitching in relief instead, or something else is amiss. It's spring training for the communications department too, I suppose.

Carrasco will turn 38 in a week and has had a nice spring as a non-roster invitee to Yankees camp, notching a 2.35 ERA across three games and 7.2 innings. Cole and Gil's injuries may have opened the door to him making the team as a long reliever, if not only to keep him around for depth. He's in the fifth starter competition with Will Warren and Winans as well. Carrasco has only had one good season in the last four years and didn't look sharp for the Mets and Guardians in 2023 and 2024, but there is an avenue for him to make the Yanks.

Offensively, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. gets the leadoff spot tonight for the Yankees with Aaron Judge slotted in behind him. Cody Bellinger, who's having a monster spring, protects Judge in the 3-hole, which is where I suspect we'll see Belli the vast majority of 2025 if everything goes to plan for Aaron Boone. All told, tonight's lineup is littered with regulars and guys who could see considerable playing time in the Bronx this season.

Philadelphia is sending Taijuan Walker out to face the Yankees. Walker likely wants to completely forget 2024, when he was absolutely awful. As recently as 2022, however, Walker was an above-average major league starting pitcher.

Kick off the weekend with a win, Yankees. Hopefully Carrasco can continue his excellent spring, along with Bellinger and some of the other hot bats in the Yankee lineup.

How to watch

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field – Tampa, FL

First pitch: 6:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, 94 WIP

Online stream: MLB.tv

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