Anthony Rieber: Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Carlos Lagrange in rotation come October is best-case scenario
Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 17 in Tampa, Fla. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
TAMPA, Fla. – There was a righthander on the mound for the Yankees on Wednesday who was so impressive that the thought of having him start the season in the majors had to flash across many minds.
It flashed across the mind of the man who caught his pitches: Austin Wells.
“I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now,” Wells said.
No, of course we are not talking about Gerrit Cole, who threw 10 pitches in his first outing since having Tommy John surgery a year and a week ago and looked fantastic.
It was another step in Cole’s steady progression to rejoining the Yankees in late May or early June, and his stuff was “as good as can be,” manager Aaron Boone said.
No, we are talking about Carlos Lagrange, who threw four shutout innings in the Yankees’ 1-0 victory over the Red Sox.
The 22-year-old flamethrower hasn’t pitched above Double-A. He still has some things to work on, mostly throwing consistent strikes, Boone said.
But Lagrange, who is 6-7 and 248 pounds, has something you can’t teach: Presence. He has it on the mound with his 100-plus mile per hour fastball, and he had it in the locker room during his postgame media session.
Lagrange, who is from the Dominican Republic, was using an interpreter. But when he was asked if he felt “major-league ready,” Lagrange didn’t wait for the question to be translated and answered in English:
“Yeah.”
When you ask what the Yankees need as the antidote to the very fair charges that they are “running it back” in 2026, you first have to look at Cole and Lagrange.
Two guys who were not on the 2025 Yankees and who are not guaranteed to be on this year’s team.
But if both are – Cole regaining his Cy Young form and Lagrange making the leap from prospect to stud major leaguer – then the Yankees will look a lot different than the team that was bludgeoned out of the postseason by the Blue Jays.
Lagrange, who has a 0.66 spring training ERA in four outings, threw four innings on Wednesday because he is still being stretched out as a starter. But the idea of his becoming a Dellin Betances-like force out of the bullpen is already a thing. Lagrange gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four.
On a day that started out belonging to Cole, Lagrange stole the show for those who stayed tuned in on YES or WFAN after Cole’s one-inning performance.
“Obviously, heard a lot about the stuff,” Boone said of Lagrange. “The ability to land his secondary stuff to get back in counts or finish off at-bats . . . as good as his fastball is, it’s the secondary stuff that makes him really good.
“Just getting to know him, seeing how he works and the competitiveness and coachability . . . He’s been impressive. He really has. There’s a lot to be excited about with him.”
Lagrange will most likely start the season in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rotation. But just as Cam Schlittler became a mainstay in the big-league rotation late last season and especially in the postseason, the Yankees can hope the same thing happens with Lagrange.
Cole will start the season on the injured list. Throwing one inning in a spring training game doesn’t move up his timetable by one minute. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t important and didn’t feel good for the 35-year-old ace.
Cole got tested on his very first pitch, which was bunted up the first-base line by Braiden Ward. Cole raced off the mound and fielded the ball with a slide, but Ward was already by him for a single.
Nine pitches later, Cole’s day was done without a run allowed. He threw six fastballs, which averaged 97.1 mph and topped out at 98.7.
“I just wanted to enjoy all of it,” Cole said. “So that was my goal for today. Just no reservations. Try not to judge yourself too hard, and just have fun with no thoughts about if I want to take a little bit off. Just go ahead and let it fly.”
The Yankees will open the season on March 25 in San Francisco. Cole won’t be there but said he plans to attend the home opener on April 3.
Lagrange probably won’t be at either game. But in the Yankees’ best-case scenario, both righthanders will be on the staff this summer, and will be ready to make a huge impact when the Blue Jays are whomever else come calling in October.
That’s the best way to not run it back: Use different guys. Better guys.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
