Clayton Beeter Yankees
Clayton Beeter Yankees Source: Yanks Go Yard

The New York Yankees starting rotation, minus ace Gerrit Cole, has so far been excellent this 2024 MLB season. They are leading AL-East in the lowest rotation ERA. Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil have been phenomenal, with an individual ERA lower than 4.00.

However, as the season hards towards the All-Star break, the New York Yankees are keeping their reinforcements ready in case of any injury crisis to the starting rotation, given the pitch clock crisis. However, the Yanks minor league depth has taken a massive hit as top prospect encountered a serious injury in recent Triple-A game.

   

Yankees Prospect Clayton Beeter Shut Down With Shoulder Injury

Yankees
The New York Yankees acquired minor-league right-hander Clayton Beeter last week from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Joey Gallo. NJ Media

The New York Yankees have suffered a significant setback with the loss of another promising pitching prospect, Clayton Beeter, to an arm injury. Beeter, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade, quickly became one of the most talked-about prospects in the Yankees’ farm system. He made his major season debut in the opening-day series and pitched a three-pitch inning as a relief arm. Later, he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where his numbers were decent. After his most recent four no-hit innings start, Beeter’s ERA dropped down to 2.53, and he quickly became an essential part of RailRiders’ rotation. However, fate had other plans as the pitcher was recently shut down due to a shoulder injury, as confirmed by Yankee manager Aaron Boone.

Currently, the Triple-A manager has no timeline set for Clayton Beeter’s return as they are awaiting more data on the extent of his shoulder injury. However, shoulder issues are never good news for a pitcher, and Beeter is likely looking at a prolonged absence. That being said, Beeter joins another top prospect, Chase Hampton, on the injury list as almost every other backup starter in the minors seems to be dealing with an injury crisis. Will Warren is having a horror season with a 7.62 ERA, including a recent nine runs blow out against Mets’ Triple-A team. Cody Poteet, on the other hand, is dealing with a blister in his hand and continues to face discomfort on the mound. If a Yankees starting pitcher were to be injured today, the team would massively struggle to find backups in these circumstances. It remains to be seen how the club navigates the serious situation.

Tommy Kahnle Reinstated From IL After Prolonged Shoulder Injury

Yankees, Tommy Kahnle
Pinstripe Nation

On the flip side, in a much more positive update, the New York Yankees welcomed back key relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle as he was reinstated from 15-day IL. Kahnle was out with a shoulder injury which dates back to last September. 

It delayed his spring build up, leading to a prolonged absence. That being said in a corresponding move, the New York Yankees optioned Clayton Andrews back to Triple-A. Andrews joined the roster just for a day as he was called up as reinforcement for Ian Hamilton who was placed on 7-day IL with COVID-19 symptoms.

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