DETROIT — Carlos Lagrange, the New York Yankees’ top pitching prospect, is adjusting to a new role as a reliever, with his outings in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre occurring more frequently as the organization prepares him for high-leverage bullpen duties. This week, he is being deployed on shorter rest with a reduced pitch count, part of a structured transition from his previous starting role.

Pitching coach Matt Blake described the process as progressing well. “He’s adjusting to the shorter duration, the shorter workload, getting more accustomed to the build of a reliever,” Blake said Monday before the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The team is aiming to simulate the typical reliever schedule by managing appearances on back-to-back days or with an off-day in between, to prepare Lagrange for the unpredictability of bullpen use at the major league level.

Lagrange last pitched Sunday, throwing a scoreless inning on two days’ rest and completing 22 pitches, including nine four-seam fastballs averaging 98.5 mph, with two reaching above 100 mph. His previous outing came Thursday on three days’ rest, when he gave up four unearned runs over 1 2/3 innings as the Yankees carefully scaled back his workload. Manager Aaron Boone expressed satisfaction with Lagrange’s recent outing and overall progress.

The 23-year-old right-hander’s transition remains a work in progress as the Yankees seek to develop him into a consistent late-inning reliever for the season’s second half. Both Boone and Blake said Lagrange has physically rebounded well from the more frequent pitching schedule after pitching primarily on a five- to seven-day rest cycle as a starter.

While it is often assumed a pitcher’s velocity increases when moving to a bullpen role due to shorter outings, Blake noted that hasn’t fully been evident for Lagrange yet. “There’s some general thought that anytime you shorten a guy up, he’s going to automatically gain velocity, but sometimes you’re not getting recovered as often or as fully,” Blake explained. “You’re pitching on 90 percent instead of 100 percent more often. I think all those things come into play in learning how to navigate that.”

Boone added that though Lagrange’s fastball can reach triple digits, his changeup and slider have become key strikeout weapons in his evolving bullpen repertoire. “He’s doing well. He’s focused and he’s taking to it,” Boone said.

The Yankees plan to continue evaluating Lagrange’s effectiveness and workload in the minors before considering him a reliable high-leverage option at the major league level. The organization appears confident that the careful, phased approach will ease the adjustment and maximize his impact out of the bullpen.