Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided some updates ahead of the team’s doubleheader against the Orioles…
No Lagrange
Consider any talk of Carlos Lagrange joining the Yanks shut down.
Boone said that the righty could potentially be an option down the road, but he isn’t on their radar at the moment.
“It’s not real,” the skipper emphasized. “He had an injury and he’s just starting to throw lives again, he threw one just two days ago, so he’s not in play right now.”
Lagrange was expected to get a shot in the Yankees’ bullpen during the second half, before being diagnosed with a capsular sprain of the right shoulder in late-June.
After a six-week shutdown he returned to throw an inning down in Triple-A last week.
The 23-year-old has put together a bit of an up-and-down season when healthy, pitching to a 4.48 ERA while striking out 85 batters across just 64.1 Triple-A innings.
Weathers on the mend
While the Yanks won’t be adding Lagrange, they appear to be close to getting another big piece back from injury.
Boone said that Ryan Weathers looked healthy, touching up to 96 mph on his fastball while throwing a one-inning simulated game in the Bronx on Friday afternoon.
Boone wasn’t ready to fully commit to the left-hander being ready for the Wild Card round, but it’s certainly another encouraging step in the right direction.
“He looked like Ryan stuff-wise,” he said. “He was a little scattered there in his inning, but from my vantage-point on the side his stuff looked good, look forward to flushing it out a bit.”
Weathers has been sidelined since late-August due to a left forearm flexor strain.
Though there was big concern at the time, the Yanks have always expected him to be back contributing in some capacity before the season comes to a close.
Rodon in the pen?
It appears Carlos Rodon could potentially be joining Weathers in the Yankees’ bullpen.
With the team only needed three starting pitching for the Wild Card series, we should expect to see some mixing-and-matching with the pitching staff.
Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, and Max Fried will obviously be their three starters.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
With that in mind, Boone said that Rodon is “very much in the conversation” to work out of the bullpen if needed during the three-game series with the Red Sox.
The left-hander has been tremendous for the Yanks since returning from another injury, allowing two runs or less in each of his last seven outings of the season.
He’s made just five relief appearances over his 12-year big-league career.
Stanton making the cut?
Giancarlo Stanton was one of the batters who dug into the box to face Weathers during his sim game.
Stanton has been sidelined since late April due to continued calf trouble, but Boone recently told reporters that he’s knocking on the door at a return.
So, what exactly would it take for him to be an option in the WC round?
“A lot of that comes down to how many position players we decide to go with,” Boone explained. “Those are the conversations we’ll be having over the next couple of days — we’ll talk to G and see where he’s at physically and mentally, and then we’ll do the best we can to make the right decision.”
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