Might Yankees reconsider Carlos Lagrange stance as bullpen needs become more pressing?

On Aug. 3, Brian Cashman called it "highly doubtful" that Carlos Lagrange would return in time to make his big league debut this season, going as far as to say it was "possible but unlikely." That's still probably the right read on where things stand.

But it's worth asking whether the case for getting him a look in September has quietly strengthened anyway — not because the bullpen is struggling, but almost the opposite: because the group holding down the fort right now has been asked to do an awful lot of the heavy lifting.

The bullpen itself is performing well. The unit currently sits third in MLB on Inside the Pen's bullpen power rankings. But rankings like that are built on a body of work, and that body of work has fallen on a fairly narrow group of arms.

Brent Headrick has appeared in 63 games. Tim Hill has been out there 56 times. Fernando Cruz has made 57 appearances. David Bednar, the Yanks' shutdown closer, has already worked 54 1/3 innings across 50 outings. That's a lot of high-leverage mileage for the same handful of relievers to carry into September (and hopefully October), and bullpens that lean this heavily on the same names in the summer tend to feel it by the time the games matter most.

It's not just the 'pen carrying extra weight, either. Gerrit Cole is at nearly 100 innings across his first 15 starts back from Tommy John surgery, which is real, meaningful work for an elbow that missed all of 2025. Max Fried was just placed back on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Aug. 14, with the same left elbow bone bruise that already cost him two months this year. Carlos Rodón was activated off the injured list to start Tuesday vs Baltimore, which is good news, but it's also New York managing yet another arm working its way back into rhythm. None of these are alarms on their own, but together they paint a picture of a pitching staff with very little margin for something to go sideways.

That's the case for Lagrange, and it's worth being clear this is speculation, not a signal of any actual change in plans. Before the shoulder injury, Lagrange had already been moved from the Triple-A rotation into a relief role, specifically because the Yankees liked what a triple-digit fastball, slider, cutter, and changeup could do in short bursts. And the early results were positive, with only three earned runs allowed across his first six relief outings (and he even secured his first professional save along the way). That's the version of him the organization was excited about in June, before a capsular sprain put the whole plan on hold.

So if he comes back from his throwing program and looks anything like that pitcher in even one or two minor league outings, low-leverage looks in September start to make a lot more sense as roster insurance than it did when Cashman made his comment. Not because the bullpen needs saving today — but because a staff and bullpen already carrying this much wear and tear could use one more fresh, high-octane arm in reserve before October asks for everything they've got.

Lagrange has the upside to be a high-leverage reliever, and I don't think it hurts to give him the opportunity to bring that type of energy to the fan base. If there are any hiccups in the recovery process, New York won't push the envelope. But if Lagrange is firing 103, fans would love to see him in pinstripes doing it.

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