Yankees Tease a Big Carlos Lagrange Change: What It Means for the Bullpen's Outlook

At some point Carlos Lagrange will be in the mix for the Yankees, and that time drawing closer.

Carlos Lagrange might be taking another significant step toward joining the Yankees' bullpen in the near future. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

One of the best moves the Yankees will make this summer won't be from someone added from outside the organization at the trade deadline. It will come from within.

That's the addition of top pitching prospect and hard-throwing Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen, because the young flamethrower has taken yet another step toward being Bronx-bound. In his most recent stint out of the bullpen for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Lagrange pitched 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday night. He struck out three of Lehigh Valley's batters and walked one while allowing three hits and a run.

Lagrange was as nasty as advertised, averaging triple digits every inning he was out there. He averaged 100.3 mph on the heater in the seventh inning. 102.1 mph in the eighth and 101.7 mph in the ninth. He threw two fastballs that were over 102 mph and four that were 101 mph.

Carlos Lagrange made his first "true" bullpen appearance tonight, entering the game in the middle of the 7th

Line: 2.2 IP/3 H/ 1 R/ 1 BB/ 3 K

Big thing I noticed was the velo, with 6 pitches over 101 mph; much more consistent 99+ velo out of the pen

Nasty 95 mph "slider" 🔥⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SgP6Vpyg4s

— Cai Rogers (@cai_rogers7) June 10, 2026

Lagrange's slider, which hit 95 mph at one point, was the most devastating pitch of the outing. He generated five whiffs off of it. His other two swings-and-misses came from his changeup. He generated two off of that pitch.

After the Yankees' sweep of the Guardians, manager Aaron Boone announced that Lagrange's next outing will come this Sunday, according to NY Daily News Sports' Gary Phillips. From there, they will begin shortening the days between his appearances. Once they're in a place where they're comfortable, Lagrange will be up with the big club.

And it's become quite clear the Yankees' bullpen could use the help.

Carlos Lagrange's potential is exciting, even Aaron Boone knows it

Boone is looking forward to having Lagrange added to his bullpen. Yankees fans can't blame the 53-year-old manager when his relief unit has struggled to consistently deliver this season, with arms like Jake Bird and Camilo Doval being prime examples of frustrating performances.

For Boone, Lagrange's stuff, such as the ability to hit 95 mph on his slider, is unbelievable, but it's his makeup that he's excited about as well.

"(Lagrange has) shown the ability in his young minor league career to move the needle and fix some deficiencies that he's had," Boone said, according to the New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy. "It's been fun to watch him get better and better. It was good to be around a person like that who cares about his craft and seems like a really outstanding teammate—somebody you kind of want to have in the mix."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is excited by Carlos Lagrange's potential. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

RailRiders pitching coach Spencer Medick has similar views on Lagrange. Intelligent was one word he used to describe him to the Post.

"(Lagrange) knows the name of the game is still to throw nasty stuff in the zone and stay in control, and he can't really get himself sped up mentally to just want to throw 105 (mph) out of the bullpen because he can," Medick said. "You saw him a couple times where it's 99 (mph) in the strike zone. With two strikes, here's a 102 (mph) fastball up just to let one rip. That's stuff he's capable of.

"But he's still intelligent. That's where I think starting has really helped him learn to navigate (how to) get a guy out.

If one of those betting apps could wager on who Lagrange would replace, it could be either Paul Blackburn or Ryan Yarbrough. Both serve a similar purpose as long-relief options, and Lagrange would fit that role. It's hard to imagine the Yankees carrying three of the same type of pitcher, but then again, Anthony Volpe is still playing shortstop.

Either way, it doesn't look like it'll be long before the Yankees' bullpen receives a much-needed shake-up.