The Yankees Rotation Depth Inventory: April

**Carlos Lagrange**

Carlos Lagrange turned heads during spring training, unleashing a 103 mph fastball that’s made him into the Yankees’ top pitching prospect. Despite the temptation to leverage that weapon in a high-leverage bullpen role, his team has remained committed to keeping him on a starter’s path. The fireballer has fared reasonably well in his first Triple-A action so far this year, posting a 3.66 ERA through five starts while striking out 26 in 19.2 innings. View Link Lagrange’s thrown exactly 77 pitches in each of his last three outings, indicating he could shoulder a traditional starter’s workload if called upon. However, the fact that he’s not on the 40-man — as well as the looming return of Cole or Rodón — makes it unlikely the Yankees’ front office will rush things with their blue-chip prospect.

**Ryan Yarbrough & Paul Blackburn**

If a spot start is needed, the Yankees might well go with a bullpen game, particularly as their faith in Gil has bottomed out. Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn both have extensive starting experience and are already on the Yankees’ roster in their bullpen. Yarbrough has topped out at 38 pitches in an outing this year while Blackburn has tossed as many as 43, meaning either could go as many as four innings if they’re looking sharp and working efficiently. The two veterans have been opposite-handed mirror images of each other so far this year, with each allowing five earned runs in 11 innings of work. Neither is a strong prospect for a consistent starting role, but they give their team solid depth options to navigate the ebbs and flows of a 162-game season. Elmer Rodríguez will likely be able to hold down the fort until one of the Yankees’ star hurlers gets healthy. But, if the injury bug sneaks up on the team, they have options to fill in, at least temporarily, to keep a red-hot team chugging along.