The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, have placed RHP Carlos Lagrange on the 7-day IL. For a Yankee team that was striving for help, this is not the kind of news the team was looking to receive.
Ripple Effects
New York’s bullpen has been a great source of concern this season. Lagrange was in the process of transitioning from a starter to a reliever prior to the injury occurring. The Yankees were looking forward to having his 100+ MPH velocity playing out of their bullpen. We saw the shortcomings just this week with Camilo Doval, among others, struggling, and the idea was that Lagrange would slot into a high-leverage spot.
Prior to being placed on the IL, Lagrange’s last appearance was June 28th, where he allowed five runs in 0.2 innings pitched. Prior to that, the experimentation with Lagrange being moved to the bullpen had been working out.
Lagrange was also one of two players in the Yankees system, along with Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr., selected to the All-Stars Futures game. The appearance in the game will certainly be in jeopardy after the injury.
Yankees’ new bullpen outlook
The Yankees were counting on Lagrange being a big part of their bullpen down the stretch and into October, and he still can be, depending on the severity of the injury. Now, the team’s attention for seeking a setup man should turn to the trade deadline.
The Yankees came into the season knowing they needed some help in their bullpen and now need to use their depth to get them some outside help. Brian Cashman has been gun-shy in recent years about pulling the trigger on the biggest reliever at the deadline, and it has cost them. Take 2024, for example, when the team could have benefited from Tanner Scott‘s services; instead they got Mark Leiter Jr., who was later non-tendered because of how bad he was.
This season should be an all-in season. With the talent the Yankees have on their team and how weak the American League is, there is no reason for the Yankees to not be all-in at this trade deadline. Couple that with hopefully the eventual return of Lagrange, and the bullpen goes from a weakness to a strong suit. Shortening games should be the name of the game for the Yankees, and building a strong bullpen is how that gets started.
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