The New York Yankees lost the opening game of their three-game series with the Astros on Tuesday, falling 9-7. The loss left the Yankees just 1½ games ahead of their arch-rival Boston Red Sox in the race for the top American League Wild Card spot.
The two teams go at it again at Yankee Stadium Wednesday, but as of the morning, the Yankees had not yet announced a starting pitcher for the important game against the AL West leaders.
Before the game, the Yankees did have a pitching announcement, reinstating their No. 10 overall pitching prospect from the injured list after five weeks. Former third-round draft pick Kyle Carr will be available Wednesday when the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders take on the Worcester Red Sox in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Carr’s absence began July 21, just two starts into his Triple-A audition. He’d reached Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 3 after a strong run at Double-A Somerset, then posted a 4.61 ERA with 13 strikeouts across 13⅔ innings before landing on the injured list, according to Baseball Savant. Neither Yankees affiliate has publicly detailed the injury.
Kyle Carr’s Long Road Back From Tommy John Surgery
GettyYankees pitching prospect Kyle Carr.
This isn’t Carr’s first extended absence. He underwent Tommy John surgery as a senior at San Marcos High School in California in 2020, wiping out his final prep season. He redshirted his first year at the University of San Diego and barely pitched in his second before transferring to Palomar Junior College.
That move changed everything. Carr went 12-1 with a 2.31 ERA and a 111-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Palomar in 2023, emerging as the top junior college arm in that draft class and bypassing a Texas Christian commitment when the Yankees took him in the third round, 97th overall, signing him for $692,000, according to a Bronx Pinstripes profile of Carr.
He climbed steadily from there, spending 2024 and most of 2025 at High-A Hudson Valley, capping it with a South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year season: 8-6, a 1.96 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 119.1 innings, leading the league in ERA and opponent average. A late-2025 bump to Double-A Somerset saw a regression with three starts and an 8.56 ERA. But he rebounded to go 6-5 with a 4.32 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 66⅔ innings there before this year’s Triple-A callup.
What Kind of Pitcher the Yankees Have in Kyle Carr
Carr leans on deception and strikes more than velocity, working at 90-92 mph and topping out around 95 — down from the 91-97 he flashed at Palomar. His slider has cooled too, dropping into the upper 70s, while his changeup has gotten harder and firmer with better sink against right-handed hitters.
Evaluators peg him as a No. 10 pitching prospect in the Yankees system, No. 13 overall according to MLB Pipeline, with an estimated MLB arrival in 2027. His grades of 50 on the fastball and slider, 45 on the changeup, and 50 for control describe a pitcher without a standout weapon but enough overall stuff to get some starting assignments.
The Yankees are wagering that Carr’s athleticism and arm speed can still produce a No. 3 or 4 starter if the 24-year-old adds strength and recaptures his junior-college velocity. For now, the priority is simpler — get back on a mound in Triple-A and prove the layoff was a speed bump.
Yankees Announce Decision on Top-10 Pitching Prospect During Astros Series