The New York Yankees are scraping for bullpen help, desperately trying to patch holes as their season teeters on the edge of disaster.
It was Clayton Beeter’s turn on Thursday, tossed into the fire after Clarke Schmidt exited early with right forearm tightness.
An unexpected debut under brutal circumstances
Beeter, promoted this week to give the Yankees another arm, hardly received a gentle welcome to the mound in Toronto.
Schmidt lasted only 55 pitches before grabbing his arm, and suddenly Beeter was staring down a dangerous Blue Jays lineup.
The 26-year-old never settled in, giving up three earned runs and two walks across just 1.2 innings of relief.
Beeter’s raw tools didn’t shine under pressure
It was a cruel first outing of the year, but the Yankees couldn’t afford to ease Beeter in with the way their rotation’s crumbling.
He flashed some of the strikeout upside that’s made him intriguing, yet command issues and nerves left him scrambling.
Against a patient lineup, his mistakes turned into loud contact, and that’s how quickly games spiral in the big leagues.
Even dependable arms are starting to crack
By the time Luke Weaver took the ball late, the Yankees were chasing shadows. Weaver surrendered two more runs trying to stop the bleeding.
Once viewed as a rock-solid bullpen piece early this season, even Weaver is searching for the groove that made him dominant in May.
The bullpen is suddenly overworked and exposed, and young arms like Beeter are learning on the job in the harshest way possible.
What does the future hold for Clayton Beeter?
At 26, Beeter is no longer a baby prospect. The Yankees need to figure out if he’s worth continuing to develop or better used in a trade.
He has tantalizing strikeout numbers in the minors, but control lapses at the highest level can turn promise into problems instantly.
New York will weigh these appearances heavily before the trade deadline, because moving Beeter might be an easy decision.
The Yankees are running out of luxury to be patient
It’s one thing to let prospects work through mistakes when your team has a cushion in the standings. The Yankees don’t have that luxury anymore.
Every slip feels amplified. The offense is sputtering, the rotation is battered, and Aaron Boone’s options are growing thin.
If Beeter can’t prove quickly that he can get big-league hitters out consistently, Brian Cashman could easily include him in a July deal.
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- Yankees’ key starting pitcher goes down with forearm injury
Tough lessons learned under the bright lights
This is how big moments forge or break young pitchers. Beeter didn’t seize his opportunity, but there’s still time to change the story.
With the Yankees desperate for stable relief, he might get another look soon — and next time, he’ll know exactly how steep the hill is.
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