Yankees' Flamethrower Carlos Lagrange Gives Confident Answer on MLB Readiness

He didn't need a translator for this question

Feb 27, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange (84) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning during spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees' top pitching prospect, Carlos Lagrange, recently added another strong performance to his impressive spring training stat sheet. And after his latest outing, the hard-throwing righty and his catcher both made it clear that they think he's already an MLB-caliber pitcher.

Lagrange, the Yankees' No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 79 overall prospect for 2026, twirled four shutout innings in New York's 1-0 spring win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The 22-year-old gave up just two hits and one walk over his four innings of relief, while striking out four. The 6-foot-7 flamethrower has now thrown 11 consecutive scoreless innings this spring and lowered his spring training ERA to 0.66.

After this performance, Lagrange was asked if he thinks he's ready to pitch in the majors. The 22-year-old didn't wait for help from the team's translator and just responded, "yeah," according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Yankees catcher Austin Wells also said, "I don't have any doubts he could help us right now," according to Hoch.

That's another vote of confidence for Lagrange from a current Yankee after 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole gave the prospect his seal of approval earlier this spring. Despite this support and his spring training performance, though, it seems like the young righty may have to continue to showcase his talents in the minors to start the 2026 season.

Carlos Lagrange could force Yankees' hand if spring success translates to regular season

Mar 16, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees player Carlos Lagrange poses for a portrait during media day at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: New York Yankees via Imagn Images | New York Yankees via Imagn Images

Even though Lagrange and his teammates seem confident in his ability to produce at the major league level, he still hasn't even pitched above Double-A yet. The hard-throwing righty appeared in 16 Double-A games last year, and he's only thrown in 56 total minor league games to date.

It's easy for fans to get excited about a prospect who's regularly throwing triple-digit heaters, but Lagrange is still young and relatively inexperienced at the upper minor league levels. The Yankees have also made it clear they want to continue his development as a starter, even though the 22-year-old said earlier this spring he'd do "whatever they need" to get called up to the big leagues, according to the YES Network's Jack Curry.

While Lagrange definitely could be an electric arm out of the bullpen later in the year, it seems like the young flamethrower is confident he can get major league hitters out in any role right now.