Carlos Lagrange's Bullpen Move Should Have One Yankees Reliever Worried About His Future

The Yankees are close to seeing their fireballer Carlos Lagrange come up to the big leagues.

Carlos Lagrange just took one big step toward joining the Yankees, which should have one pitcher worried about his outlook. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Yankees are close to having Carlos Lagrange make his way up to the big leagues. Earlier this week, the organization announced that the hard-throwing right-hander would be transitioning to the bullpen this year, and it looks like the rookie with the ability to dial it up to 103 mph might be the type of help they have been looking for all year.

According to NY Daily News Sports' Gary Phillips on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Lagrange, currently a starter, will begin a full-time transition to a bullpen role in June. He mentioned a de-loading process that could take "several weeks." The plan is to have Lagrange make appearances every other day and to make that part of his routine.

102.8 mph ⛽️⛽️⛽️@Yankees No. 1 pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange hurls the fastest pitch tracked by Statcast in the Minors this season as he fans 8 with 12 swings-and-misses in 5 IP for the Triple-A @swbrailriders. pic.twitter.com/7le96MZPyP

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 13, 2026

"We definitely view (Lagrange) long-term as a starter," Boone said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "But in the 2026 lens, there's a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward."

Right now, the bullpen has held its own better than it did at around this time last year, but it's clear it's the team's main weakness. Their 3.59 ERA may be the 10th-best in MLB, but it's clear that on a given night, the pen is prone to blowing games.

Such was the case against the Guardians on Tuesday. Cam Schlittler gave up four earned runs in 4.1 innings, and the bullpen didn't do any better to pick him up. Tim Hill allowed a run, and Camilo Doval gave up three, despite striking out two. A close game became out of reach, and the final result was a 9-4 loss.

Room must be made in the bullpen if Lagrange is going to be part of the solution. That means someone will have to be removed from the equation, with one potential candidate being more obvious than others.

Paul Blackburn should be worried that Carlos Lagrange will take his bullpen spot

It shouldn't be hard to make room for Lagrange later in the summer. The two names that should be the most worried about a Lagrange call-up are Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, who both share similar purposes as long-relief options. Blackburn, specifically, should be the low man on the totem pole.

Yarbrough may have a hard time cracking 90 mph on his fastball, but one thing about him is that he's able to generate a ton of soft contact. Yarbrough has a 99th percentile average exit velocity, a 98th percentile barrel rate, and a 100th percentile hard-hit rate.

Ryan Yarbrough has still found ways to help the Yankees, even if he hasn't been perfect this season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Blackburn's peripherals are all pedestrian, and considering that Lagrange could also serve as a multi-inning reliever, and potentially do so better than him, it should mean Blackburn's days are numbered.

There is just so much more upside to Lagrange. He averages 98.9 mph on that fastball, and in the bullpen, there's no reason that number can't be higher. Not to mention, he has a 29.1% strikeout rate.

"It's electric stuff," Boone continued. "The exciting thing for me was, really, being around him for the first time, seeing the person and the competitor. How he works. You love to see a young guy go out there and perform and do well and relish the competition. I think we all probably had that thought of, 'Oh, maybe he could impact us in some way, shape or form throughout the year."

It's clear that each passing day brings us one step closer to Lagrange's MLB debut, and that should have Blackburn worried about his Yankees outlook.