Despite Carlos Lagrange option, Yankees are making right decision with him in minors

The New York Yankees should have thrown the MLB-ready Carlos Lagrange into their rotation to start the season, but it was never going to happen. New York just reassigned Lagrange and his triple-digit fastball to minor league camp on the worst day possible. Sigh.

At the very least, however, it sounds like the Yankees won't be messing with Lagrange's development in Triple-A by having him pitch in relief. The latest intel from The Athletic's Chris Kirschner suggests it's "unlikely" that Lagrange will be anything other than a starter in the minors.

New York's decision to keep Lagrange away from the bullpen isn't a surprise to anyone who was listening to Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake in February. Blake told Kirschner back then that there is "huge value" in keeping Lagrange in a starting role for as long as possible. This is because the Yankees hope that Lagrange turns into a starting pitcher — not a reliever — once he's fully formed.

Could Yankees use Carlos Lagrange as reliever later in 2026 season?

Many would argue that Lagrange already is fully formed, or rather, formed enough to feature in the Yanks' rotation over wildly inconsistent arms like Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil.

What exactly do the Yankees think Lagrange is lacking right now? Is it just a youth thing? Lagrange has shown this spring that his command is superior to Gil's. His fastball is superior to pretty much anyone's, and he's got the mental makeup to be great, too.

It does feel like Lagrange is destined to factor into the MLB picture for the Yankees in 2026. The thing is, once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are back in the rotation, New York will have a starting pitching surplus. There'll be far less room and opportunities for Lagrange in the rotation than there are now, presuming decent health for the rest of the staff.

This sets up a situation in which Lagrange makes his MLB debut as a reliever later in the season. It's difficult to imagine Lagrange's 102 mph fastball not working in a setup role for the Yankees in August, even if there are sneaking suspicions that introducing him on the big stage in relief could spoil his development (in a Joba Chamberlain sort of way) ... which is precisely why the organization is keeping Lagrange as a starter in the minors.

Lagrange's name won't be far from Yankees fans' tongues until the big-league rotation goes through two or three passes and does so successfully. Any early struggles from Weathers or Gil will have fans immediately calling for Lagrange, and rightfully so.

For now, Lagrange is hanging out with Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones in that weird purgatory of being too good for Triple-A but without a spot available in the bigs. With Dominguez and Jones, though, there are real, positional logjams that make their status logical and defensible (oh, and Jones needs to stop striking out so much). Lagrange is in a different boat. He's ready enough now, and there are worse pitchers taking his place in the rotation.