The Yankees, seeking additional support for their bullpen, will have to wait to get help from one of their promising prospects.
On Friday night, the team revealed that Carlos LaGrange, who was thinking about transitioning to a reliever for the remainder of the season, has been diagnosed with right shoulder capsule fatigue.
The 23-year-old right-hander will be sidelined for around six weeks, which unfortunately falls well past the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
As a result, instead of potentially lending a hand to the Bronx bullpen soon, LaGrange will be out indefinitely, effectively removing him from their consideration for bullpen upgrades.
Before the game, manager Aaron Boone commented that this development would definitely alter the team’s immediate plans.
LaGrange had begun to showcase his ability to throw consistently high speeds during spring training, prompting the Yankees to consider him as a starting pitcher while hoping to move him to the bullpen for the rest of the season due to ongoing issues within that area.
This shift started back in early June, with the hope of promoting him to the majors later on.
However, this is currently on pause and looks likely to remain that way for the rest of the season.
LaGrange’s last outing was on Sunday against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He pitched after two days’ rest, allowing four hits, five runs, and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning, marking his worst performance as a reliever. He did average 98.8 mph with his fastball and even hit a peak of 100.9 mph.
This was LaGrange’s seventh time pitching out of the bullpen and his second such outing after two days of rest.
This situation naturally led to questions about whether the switch to relieving might be linked to his shoulder pain.
Boone expressed that it’s difficult to say for sure, mentioning, “I think we were being careful, but we’ll never know why it happened.”
It’s clear why the Yankees were looking to LaGrange for reinforcement.
Last year’s trade deadline acquisitions, Camilo Doval and Jake Byrd, were major disappointments for the bullpen, although David Bednar performed adequately as a closer.
If the rest of the season unfolds as hoped, the Yankees might also consider Ryan Weathers as an additional left-handed option since they won’t have space for him in the rotation.
However, they are still waiting for Max Fried to recover from a left elbow contusion, with Carlos Rodon currently on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation.
There was some speculation that Lewis Gil might emerge as a relief option, but he last pitched on April 26 before a shoulder injury kept him out for most of his time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Although he has resumed pitching, he’s far from being a candidate for a spot in the Bronx.
This might mean the Yankees will be in the market for at least two relief pitchers in the next month, though they learned last year that finding viable help won’t be an easy task.
