Carlos Lagrange showed no signs of rust in his return to the bump after spending over two months on the IL.
The fastball unfurled by the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect topped out at 102.1 mph while striking out two in one inning of relief during Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 9-6 loss to Jacksonville on Wednesday at PNC Field.
Entering the game in the top of the sixth, Lagrange wasted no time showing off his 70-grade fastball. The first pitch of his outing registered 101.2 mph -- the first of four fastballs topping 100 mph.
After allowing a one-out double, the right-hander bore down and punched out both Brendan Jones (MIA No. 28) and Brandon Compton (MIA No. 13) to end the inning.
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Lagrange’s pitch mix induced three whiffs on nine swings. While his 55-grade slider failed to yield a swing-and-miss, the pitch finished off Compton as Lagrange landed the high-80s spinner on the inside corner for strike three.
The 2026 season has been interesting for the right-hander. Developed as a starter by the Yankees after signing for just $10,000 dollars out of the Dominican Republic in February 2022, Lagrange began the year at Triple-A with a 4.41 ERA and 11.6 K/9 over his first 11 starts.
In early June, the organization decided to shift the 23-year-old into a relief role at Triple-A -- not for his shortcomings or underperformance as a starter, but to accelerate his path to the Major Leagues.
“We definitely view him long term as a starter,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in June. “But in the 2026 lens, there’s a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward.”
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In his first 13 2/3 innings out of the RailRiders bullpen, Lagrange was impressive, posting a 12.5 K/9 and 1.98 ERA. On June 28, he got tagged for five runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning. Five days later, he was put on the IL with a capsular sprain in his right shoulder.
Despite the missed time, Lagrange is still one of the most electric arms not only in the Yankees system, but in all of the Minor Leagues.
Prior to his IL stint, Lagrange’s 83 strikeouts tied for third-most in the organization. Entering Wednesday's outing, he ranked among the top 10 in Yankees prospects with a minimum of 60 innings in strikeout percentage (29.5 percent, fourth) and average-against (.219, tied for seventh).
The Yankees officially clinched their ninth playoff berth in 10 years on Sept. 14. And although he just returned from the IL, the Bronx Bombers could still find a way to call upon Lagrange to join the team in September or October.