Carrasco, making his first spring appearance since experiencing elbow discomfort during his start on Mar. 13, tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two in Friday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

The Cubs deployed a somewhat make-shift lineup, but the importance of Carrasco's performance shouldn't be understated. Health has been the righty's biggest foe over the past year, and he received a huge scare earlier in camp when his throwing elbow flared up. However, he appears to be back on track and feels confident there's nothing to worry about moving forward. Over the next 10 days, the Indians will need to decide how to handle Carrasco's comeback in terms of the rotation alignment. Due to early-season off-days, manager Terry Francona has the option of not using a fifth starter until Apr. 15. If the club feels Carrasco needs more time to get his innings and pitch count built up, he could be slotted in the back of the rotation.