Clayton Beeter delivered another scoreless inning for the Scranton RailRiders last night, and with the Yankees having some issues with their bullpen, he could be auditioning for a spot in a big-league bullpen.
The right-hander has looked much sharper as of late, returning from a shoulder injury that held him out for more than a month.
With a power fastball and wicked slider, Beeter has the swing-and-miss abilities that the Yankees covet for relievers, and he could be the perfect addition to this scuffling bullpen.
You should never view a rookie as a savior for a contender, but if the 26-year-old clicks at the Major League level, the Yankees could have one less hole to fill in their pitching staff at the deadline.
How Clayton Beeter Could Help the Yankees Bullpen Soon
Back in 2022 the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade where Joey Gallo went to the West Coast, and in exchange, Brian Cashman landed Clayton Beeter.
The right-hander transitioned from a starter role to a reliever role when he returned from a shoulder injury last season, and he’s displayed a 95-96 MPH out of the bullpen.
His fastball has 16-17 inches of Induced Vertical Break and is an effective pitch at the top of the zone, and it’s gone from a below-average heater to an above-average one because of the velocity boost he’s seen in these shorter spurts.
While that fastball is impressive, his best pitch is the slider, which generates tons of vertical drop with little horizontal movement.
This slider is one of the best pitches in the Yankees’ organization; it has a Whiff Rate north of 50% with a SLG% below .250 on the season.
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His 16.7% walk rate in Triple-A this season is very high and the Yankees are justified in keeping him down until that number drops to a certain point.
Beeter has limited the walks over his last three outings, not issuing a single free pass, and without any Spring Training reps this season it’s possible he just needed more time to get right.
Scott Effross is down two MPH on his fastball from 2022, Yerry De Los Santos has massive red flags indicating regression, and Ian Hamilton has been ineffective this season.
There is room for the Yankees to just see what Clayton Beeter is, and with his strikeout rates exceeding 35% in Scranton in 2025, the team should be willing to promote him and see what he can provide.
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