Well, Antonio Bastardo’s shoulder sprain has officially landed him on the 15 day disabled list. This brings up the inevitable question: who is going to take his place?
There are many different names being tossed around at this point. The most popular ones being talked about at this point are Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Kendrick, Andrew Carpenter, and Kyle Drabek. There’s always the possibly of a spot start out of the bullpen from someone like Chan Ho Park as well.
As of today, it seems as if Carrasco will finally make his major league debut. He has been touted as the best pitching prospect in the Phillies’ organization for years now. He has been viewed as the legit #2 pitcher behind Cole Hamels. IN a weird coincidence, if he does get the call on Thursday, it will be right after Hamels. I just haven’t thought Carrasco has developed the consistency that is needed to pitch in the big leagues, but the team needs to find out what they have with this kid. He has a lot of potential, and it’s about time he takes the next step and plays with the big boys.
Kyle Kendrick is also a possibility to come up and grab a start or two. The Phillies know what they have in Kendrick and would put him in the rotation if they thought he gave them the best chance to win. He’s won 21 games in the majors, so he’s got the experience, but I don’t think it’s going to happen at this point.
Andrew Carpenter is actually having the best season of all the potential call ups and has already made one spot start against the Nationals earlier this season. Carpenter would be a good candidate, but I don’t think he’s ready to step into a big league rotation just yet.
Kyle Drabek has been talked about, but there is no chance he comes up to the team this season. He’s just not ready. Hell, he’s in AA Reading right now. He’s still got the get to AAA. He’s progressing nicely and will be a serious candidate to make the big club next season, but he needs more time in the minors.
With all that being said, it looks like Carrasco will be making his debut on Thursday. At this point, I think it’s a combination of the team thinks he’s ready for it as well as the team wanting to know if the work they’ve invested in Carrasco will pay off. While I don’t think this is make or break for Carlos, it will go a long way towards to determining if he sticks around much longer.
-KK
