Overview
- Brian Cashman told Joel Sherman Sunday that the Yankees are having “ongoing discussions” about shifting 23-year-old Carlos Lagrange to a bullpen role this season.
- Scouts and reports say Lagrange routinely reaches the high-90s and touched 103 mph in spring training, with a recent Triple-A outing showing 99.8 mph.
- Statistical red flags at Triple-A include an 11.5 percent walk rate, a 46.5 percent first-pitch strike rate, a 4.41 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP, which have driven concerns about his command.
- The club’s deep major-league rotation leaves little short-term path for him as a starter, and outlets such as FanGraphs and Baseball America have projected a reliever future.
- Promoting Lagrange would address an inconsistent Yankees bullpen immediately and could reduce the front office’s need to trade for relief help ahead of the early-August deadline.