The New York Yankees have announced that right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter will begin a rehab assignment in Single-A with the Tampa Tarpons. Last season, he transitioned from a starter to a reliever, with the Yankees making the change permanent this offseason as they believe his stuff plays better in a bullpen role. He suffered a shoulder injury during the 2024 season, limiting him to just 15 total appearances between the Minor Leagues and Major Leagues.
Aaron Boone would love to have another multi-inning weapon for their bullpen, which has been stretched thin due to short starts, especially from the backend of their rotation. The Yankees do not want to overuse and burnout their top arms too quickly, and Clayton Beeter is capable of tossing 2-3 innings in a single outing if needed.
Clayton Beeter Could Provide a Much-Needed Boost For the Yankees’ Bullpen
While he posted a 4.91 ERA in his three outings at the Major League level last season, Clayton Beeter displayed a strong two-pitch mix and struck out 33.3% of the batters he faced. He was impressive in a reliever role at the Minor League level as well, as in five relief appearances, he pitched seven innings of shutout baseball with 12 strikeouts and no walks. The fastball velocity spiked from 92-93 MPH to 95-96 MPH, making it a more viable weapon at the top of the zone.
His signature pitch, a sharp slider with tons of drop, also saw an improvement in velocity when he moved to a reliever role, and it’s one of the best breaking balls in the organization. The whiff rates he has on that pitch are sky-high, and the Yankees have formed a bullpen with tons of swing-and-miss in it, which would allow Beeter to fit right in. With Yoendrys Gomez in their long-man role alongside Ryan Yarbrough, the Yankees might have an opening for Clayton Beeter, who has displayed better stuff and better command to this point in his career.
Acquired from the Dodgers for Joey Gallo, the Yankees allowed Beeter to start before eventually moving him to the bullpen as they identified that his command and stuff were best in shorter spurts. His starter background could open the door for some interesting strategies if the Yankees can’t get Carlos Carrasco to consistently deliver competitive starts.
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Across five outings, Carlos Carrasco has a 6.53 ERA and 16.7% K% with the Yankees, and his starts have been far from satisfactory through this point. He’s struggled to hold onto leads, attack the zone, or put batters away due to having a deteriorating arsenal at the age of 38. Where he could be useful is in a role where he’s only pitching through an opposing lineup once, with batters hitting .138 against him the first time through the order but hitting .343 the second time through.
While he still nibbles in those first matchups, his strikeout stuff is best when hitters haven’t seen him much, and as a starter, he has yet to allow a home run in the first time through the lineup. The Yankees could use Clayton Beeter in an opener role where Carlos Carrasco pitches in relief and provides 2-3 innings of work, giving the team 4-5 innings total of strong run prevention in a game.
Using Beeter every fifth day for 1-2 innings also wouldn’t ruin his availability for an entire series, and while you’d have games where you’re running with just seven available relievers if he’s an opener, the team essentially treats Yoendrys Gomez as a non-factor in games. He’s only used in low-leverage situations or if the bullpen is completely spent, and the Yankees could upgrade that with someone like Clayton Beeter, who could rack up strikeouts and keep the team in games.