The New York Yankees got more unfortunate news concerning pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange. The flamethrowing right-hander has a capsular sprain in his right shoulder, per New York Daily News‘ Gary Phillips.
Phillips also reports that Lagrange will be shut down for the next six weeks. He was placed on the 7-day injured list with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
That is tough news for both the Yankees and Lagrange. The right-hander won’t be able to throw until the middle of August. Then it will require a ramp-up period before he can return to action.
What the Carlos Lagrange Injury Means for the Yankees
The Yankees moved Carlos Lagrange to relief to give him a pathway to contributing on the roster. That gave the club another internal option to consider down the stretch, if he continued to pitch well in that role.
With a fastball that tops out at 102.7 MPH, the right-hander has the type of velocity to embarrass MLB hitters as a reliever. But they view him as a starting pitcher long-term. He spent the first three months of the season in that role.
But the injury could very well delay his debut with the club until next season. However, the bigger concern is what the next steps will be regarding the capsule sprain.
Lagrange is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in the offseason. However, that’s a 40-man roster decision the Yankees aren’t sweating. The right-hander is a lock to be added by that deadline, if not by the end of the regular season.
However, the Yankees aren’t concerned with that decision right now. They’re looking to end a seven-game losing streak and then fortify their roster. One of the key areas to improve will be the bullpen.
The Yankees could use another leverage arm to work with closer David Bednar and key setup man Fernando Cruz. The Lagrange injury likely doesn’t move the needle on that need very much.
Carlos Lagrange’s Future Role With the Yankees
The Yankees have to consider what the long-term role of Carlos Lagrange is. The right-hander has battled injuries in two of the past three seasons.
However, his 40-man clock starts no later than the offseason. The Rule 5 deadline will still pass, regardless of whether or not a Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached before December 1.
With a capsular sprain, the club has to be cognizant of potential workload issues. If he finishes the season with a clean bill of health, they could potentially decide if he should continue to start.
It will be tough for Lagrange to crack the rotation, given the amount of organizational depth at that spot. The Yankees will be running back much of their 2026 rotation, with Elmer Rodriguez and Brendan Beck as depth options.
In that scenario, it might be difficult to get Lagrange up as more than an injury replacement. If they’re looking for 2027 impact, a reliever role makes more sense. But if there’s no clearly defined role out of the bullpen, they can afford to keep developing him as a starter.
That would allow Lagrange to keep getting consistent reps with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. However, his long-term future may still be in the bullpen. That will depend on how quickly he can bounce back, as his stuff projects for a back-of-the-bullpen role.
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