The New York Yankees may have their next elite, flame-throwing arm, even if he won’t immediately show up in the starting rotation or the roster, in general. As the Yankees have always had one of the best pitching labs in baseball, one of their youngsters seems to be next up.
However, that could be him being a reliever rather than a starter.
SNY’s John Harper made predictions for the season, and he projected that right-hander Carlos Lagrange will be a key bullpen arm for the Yankees during the 2026 campaign.
While he was recently sent down, Lagrange has all of the stuff to be a star, and the Yankees recognize that.
“10. CARLOS LAGRANGE EMERGES AS YANKEES BULLPEN WEAPON. Carlos Lagrange won the spring as a somewhat unknown pitching prospect who astonished the Yankees with his eye-popping velocity, his fastball reaching 103 mph. And while he was sent to the minors to open the season, there seems little doubt he’ll bring that high heat to the Bronx at some point in 2026.
“Maybe it will be as a starter, but it would take multiple injuries in the rotation for that to happen. It seems more likely the Yankees eventually will groom the 22-year old right-hander for a bullpen role, even if it’s just for this season, as Lagrange could be a huge late-inning weapon down the stretch of a division race and into the post-season as well,” he wrote.
His velocity immediately makes him someone who could be very, very good in the bullpen. Despite that, I’d like to see him as more of a starter, given how young he is and him doing that for his career now.
However, if the Yankees need him to come out and get a few outs each game, that’s what should happen.
While there will still be long-term hope about his potential as a starter, Harper’s prediction was more about him contributing right now. Young guys don’t have much of a choice but to do what’s needed when called upon.
The Yankees need to make a decision on him in the future, but to start, he’ll be in the minors, still developing.