Carlos

Lagrange

It seemed implausible that Lagrange, who faced hitters in a live batting practice session on Wednesday, would factor into New York’s playoff pitching plans after suffering a shoulder injury back in July. The hard-throwing 23-year-old top prospect has yet to ascend to the majors, but it’s possible he could debut as a reliever in the postseason. His triple-digit velocity would make him a certifiable weapon out of the bullpen, if the Yankees decide to go that route. He’s a fascinating talent that fantasy managers should be paying attention to heading into next year.

The hard-throwing right-hander had been on the minor league injured list since July 2nd with a right shoulder strain. He averaged 100.3 mph on his four-seamer during his inning of work, touching 102.1 mph. He struck out two and allowed one hit while throwing 12 of his 19 pitches for strikes. It’s unlikely the Yankees would rush him back to make his MLB debut in the postseason, but it’s possible.

Lagrange was sidelined with a capsular sprain in his right shoulder on July 3rd, and the Yankees said he would be shut down from all throwing for six weeks. After a little over three weeks, the 23-year-old was able to begin playing catch. Lagrange is still early on in his rehab, but there is a chance that he could help the Yankees’ bullpen in September if he continues to progress without setbacks.

As anticipated, the prized 23-year-old right-hander will be shelved until at least mid-August due to his shoulder issue. At that stage, it wouldn’t be surprising if it winds up costing him the majority of what’s left in the minor league season.

The 23-year-old is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam to determine the severity of the injury. The Yankees obviously are going to take every precaution with their prized right-hander so anticipate him being out for a while.

The Yankees made headlines by moving the flame-throwing Lagrange to the bullpen earlier this week and he responded with a dominant performance in his first outing. The 23-year-old top prospect projects as an impact contributor for the Yankees as a multi-inning weapon during the second half of the season. The move undoubtedly caps Lagrange’s immediate fantasy appeal, but scouts and evaluators always seemed to envision him as more of a fit as a high-leverage reliever than traditional starter. He’s a name to know for fantasy purposes, especially in deeper mixed leagues as one of the more intriguing young arms in the game.

There is no indication that this is a permanent move, but the Yankees believe that Lagrange’s triple-digit fastball could help their big league team as a reliever this season. The 23-year-old prospect has an 11.5 percent walk rate at Triple-A this season, so there’s a good chance that the bullpen could be his long-term home anyway, but we know it will be where he starts his MLB career, sometime over the summer. The shift to the bullpen does sap all of his fantasy value in redraft leagues.

Lagrange struck out eight, but he walked three and allowed three home runs on the day. The 22-year-old has intriguing upside, but has a 4.76 ERA in 28 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. His 13.3 percent walk rate is also too high, so there are some continued kinks to work out.

Lagrange also walked three and struck out four while throwing just 55 percent of his pitches for strikes. Lagrange was super exciting in spring training, and he has plenty of upside, but he also has a 1.38 WHIP in 24 innings at Triple-A to go along with a 3.75 ERA, so there is some seasoning left to do.

It was a deflating end to an otherwise electric spring for Lagrange as he served up a staggering nine hits, including home runs to Michael Busch and Alex Bregman, on a 93-degree afternoon in the Arizona desert. The hard-throwing 22-year-old top pitching prospect appears poised to reach New York at some point later this season but was unlikely to make the club’s season-opening roster, especially since he’s pitched just 78 1/3 innings above High-A in his career. He’ll marinade a bit longer on the doorstep of the big leagues but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come up as a dominant multi-inning reliever at some point later this year.