Almost every time Carlos Lagrange took the mound this spring, it became a show.
The Yankees’ top pitching prospect quickly went from being known as the kid who throws hard — the consistency of which impressed veterans such as Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, among others — to being someone who could legitimately help the big league club this season.
“What he’s done the last six weeks definitely made us think maybe he’s closer than we think,” Aaron Boone said on one of the final days of camp after the Yankees optioned the right-hander to Triple-A.
In the nine weeks since, Lagrange, who turns 23 on Monday, largely has been out of sight, but not out of mind, continuing his work at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to try to put himself in a position to impact the Yankees at some point this season. Whether that is in the rotation, should a need arise, or in the bullpen, where a need is already clear, remains to be seen, though the latter seems more likely to get him to The Bronx this year.
