Carrasco (neck spasms) to IL, testing Cleveland's depth

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians’ starting pitching depth just got a little thinner.

On Tuesday, Carlos Carrasco was scratched from his scheduled start against the Mets at Progressive Field because of acute neck spasms and was placed on the 15-day IL. Righty Xzavion Curry was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take Carrasco’s spot in the rotation.

“Over the past few days, Cookie’s been experiencing some neck tightness and just kind of spasms,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before the game. “And so he's been working with the medical staff over the last few days, did everything they could yesterday, today, and just had to make the tough decision that it wouldn't be in best interest for him to go out there tonight.”

Losing Carrasco in itself is a hit to Cleveland’s rotation. His overall numbers may not seem strong, but most of the damage against him came in two outings. Besides those blunders, he’s pitched to a 3.22 ERA in his seven other starts this season. Of late, he’s been reliable for a rotation that was searching for stability, with a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings over three starts in May.

But Carrasco’s absence requires the Guardians to dip into their limited depth at Columbus. Curry was up with Cleveland when he first came off the IL earlier this year (after a viral illness) and made one start, throwing five scoreless innings against Boston. However, the Guardians needed to option him to Columbus because of a roster crunch. Since then, he hasn’t performed as steadily as the club would’ve liked at Triple-A.

“We had to option him after he threw a great game,” Vogt said. “There's some letdown, there's some things, and that's on him. It is. I'm not making an excuse for him, but at the same time, I expect [Curry] to come out, chuck it just the way we all know he can and we're excited that he's here starting for us.”

Curry is the top option for the Guardians when it comes to rotational depth. And now that he’s in the Majors, Cleveland’s pipeline is thin. Aside from Curry, the Clippers have had five hurlers make at least four starts this season:

• Hunter Stanley -- Four starts (six games), 5.85 ERA, 22 strikeouts, 11 walks, 20 innings
• Wes Parsons -- Four starts (seven games), 3.71 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 14 walks, 17 innings
• Adam Oller -- Six starts (seven games), 6.85 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 15 walks, 22 1/3 innings
• Connor Gillispie -- Six starts (nine games), 6.05 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 18 walks, 38 2/3 innings
• Will Dion -- Eight starts (nine games), 7.36 ERA, 37 strikeouts, 21 walks, 36 2/3 innings

This is a group that the Guardians would probably prefer to have more time in Columbus before coming up to the Majors. In a pinch, should another injury occur before Carrasco returns, the Guardians do have Tyler Beede in Triple-A, as he was sent to Columbus after being designated for assignment. He’s given up four runs in 4 2/3 innings so far, but he at least has the experience that Cleveland could lean on if needed.

The Guardians knew their starting pitching was thin coming into the season, and that was before the team lost ace Shane Bieber for the year. As long as Carrasco’s injury is temporary, Cleveland should be able to get by. But it’s clear that the group will benefit once Gavin Williams is finally able to rejoin the mix to help provide some depth.