The New York Yankees are entering the 2026 campaign with World Series expectations once again, and it isn’t too hard to see why. With Aaron Judge leading the way, the Yanks have a shot to win every time they take the field. And while they are returning practically the exact same roster they had from last season, there’s reason to believe this year will be different for New York.
One reason is that the team has several young prospects who could find their way to the majors at some point in 2026. Perhaps the most exciting prospect of that bunch right now is Carlos Lagrange, but the Yankees were forced to make a tough decision on his status for the beginning of the year that caught fans’ attention.
Yankees Reassign Carlos Lagrange to Minor League Camp
Lagrange is entering the 2026 season as New York’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 79 overall prospect in the league. A flamethrowing right-hander, Lagrange has powered his way through the minors, and after putting together a strong body of work throughout Spring Training, it seemed like he had a real shot at earning a spot on the Opening Day roster.
In 2025, Lagrange split his time at High-A and Double-A, with his final numbers on the year being quite strong (11-8, 3.53 ERA, 168 K, 1.20 WHIP). In Spring Training, though, Lagrange has looked even better, as he’s posted a minuscule 0.93 ERA over 9.2 innings of work. With the Yankees potentially needing some help in the bullpen and at the backend of their starting rotation, Lagrange quickly began turning heads.
At just 22 years old, New York can afford to take its time with Lagrange, and it appears that’s precisely what it will do. On Thursday, Lagrange was reassigned to the team’s minor league camp, meaning he won’t begin the year in the majors. However, according to Aaron Boone, it sounds like Lagrange has managed to make quite an impression over the past few weeks.
“He made it a difficult decision,” Boone said of Lagrange. “Coming into this, I wouldn’t have even thought there was a decision. He’s definitely got everyone’s attention. I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season. I can just tell you, we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he could mean to our team at some point.”
Carlos Lagrange Hoping to Find His Way to the Majors in 2026
GettyThe Yankees have reassigned top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to minor league camp
Just because Lagrange isn’t beginning the year in the majors doesn’t mean that he won’t find his way there eventually. He will likely begin the year at Triple-A, and if he continues mowing down hitters as he has done during Spring Training, he could find his way to New York before he knows it.
Teams must walk a fine line when it comes to developing their prospects, and the Yankees want to ensure that Lagrange is ready before promoting him to the majors. He’s certainly looked the part to this point, and if all goes according to plan, he could earn his long-awaited promotion to the majors at some point in the 2026 campaign.
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