Clayton Beeter, who had gotten off to a strong start this season with the Scranton RailRiders, could be out for the season as the Yankees are having him see Dr. Keith Meister right now. He went down with a shoulder injury earlier in the year, and Brian Cashman told reporters that his availability for the season could be in jeopardy. Beeter, who made his MLB debut this season, tossed just three pitches before being sent down to Scranton, where he pitched brilliantly in his second stint at Triple-A.
Through seven starts, he had a 2.53 ERA and 32.8% strikeout rate, and while he still struggled to command in-zone with a 15.7% walk rate, he limited the home run damage and began getting more groundballs.
Yankees Might Have to Shut Down Clayton Beeter For the Year
The Yankees are very secretive about injuries to prospects, so this update comes as a huge blow to their pitching depth since Clayton Beeter is currently on the 40-man roster. The right-hander may not have had a starter’s profile, throwing just a four-seamer and slider, but he definitely could have provided bullpen depth, especially in the swing-and-miss department.
He had an excellent Spring Training as he was in consideration for the fifth starter job, striking out 23.9% of batters faced with a 3.18 ERA across 17 innings. As mentioned earlier, he had looked excellent in Triple-A and even made the Yankees open the season as a depth arm to back up any of the starters the first time through.
After dominating in Scranton for the first few weeks, he was placed on the IL with a right shoulder issue, which is concerning considering it’s his throwing shoulder, and now Brian Cashman reveals that they’ll have him see a specialist for what could be a season-ending injury.
We’ve seen injuries to the shoulder become serious situations, with Frankie Montas nearly missing the entire 2023 season with a shoulder surgery he underwent right before Spring Training.
Scott Effross is in Triple-A right now continuing his rehab assignment, and perhaps placing Clayton Beeter on the full-season IL could allow them to open up a 40-man spot whenever he’s ready. The right-handed reliever has made six appearances between Single-A and Triple-A with a combined 3.68 ERA and 28.1% strikeout rate.