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.
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.
Yankees Get Devastating Injury Update on Flamethrowing Pitching Prospect During Twins Series