Getty New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone will be without his franchise ace on Opening Day for 2024.
The New York Yankees will be without their franchise ace for Opening Day as Gerrit Cole is heading to the injured list with discomfort in his pitching elbow as he enters the fifth year of a $324 million contract.
As the Yankees scour the free-agent market, trading block and its own farm system looking for replacements, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report has ranked 25-year-old righty Clayton Beeter as the team’s best in-house option following an impressive 2.00 ERA in two Spring Training starts so far.
“He’s permitted two runs in nine innings while striking out 11, showing off his impressive slider in the process,” Rymer noted.
Clayton Beeter Emerges as a Surprising Candidate for the New York Yankees Pitching Staff
The list also included fellow right-handed prospects Luis Gil, Yoendrys Gómez and Will Warren, along with eight-year veteran Luke Weaver. But Beeter wins the edge in Rymer’s estimation as Warren isn’t on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, Gómez has not looked as sharp in spring and Gil has a concerning injury history.
“The catch with Gil, 25, though is that he comes with workload limitations,” he added. “He’s topped out at 108.2 innings in a season, and that was the year before he had Tommy John Surgery in 2022. He may be better suited to a swingman role.”
It’s hard to imagine that any prospect, or even any other proven MLB pitcher, can truly replace Cole in a rotation. But the Yankees might only need a stopgap solution as their ace recovers from what MLB insider Bob Klapsich reported as a “clean MRI.”
“I’m betting Cole opts for PRP (therapy) and is back on the mound by late May,” Klapsich wrote. “He knows the window is closing on the Yankees’ championship hopes… My crystal ball says Cole will soon be testing the Yankees with a verdict: ‘I’m in. Give me two months.’”
Though Beeter would be unlikely to see a promotion to Opening Day starter, his minor-league career suggests he might hold his own at the back of the rotation.
Across 26 starts in Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, Beeter maintained a 3.62 ERA and racked up 165 strikeouts. His numbers in Double-A were particularly promising, with a 2.08 ERA in 12 starts before being promoted.
Beeter’s scouting report praises an arsenal that can include three plus pitches, led by a “two-plane” slider that fools hitters.
New York Yankees Prospect Clayton Beeter Flashed Greatness Against the Philadelphia Phillies
Beeter flashed what might be possible against big-league hitters in a Spring Training matchup with one of the best batting orders in MLB, tossing four shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Facing a dangerous Phillies lineup, Clayton Beeter was outstanding,” Yahoo! Sports reported. “The righty tossed 4.0 scoreless innings, striking out four Phillies while allowing just two hits. Beeter, 25, is the Yankees’ No. 14 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and he certainly looked the part.”
But even if Beeter translates a single preseason performance into a solid big-league debut, there will be no replacing Cole in the Yankees rotation.
“Whether the Yankees angle for a trade, or sign a free agent or opt for a young starter like Gil or Weaver to step in for Cole, there is a stark reality,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote. “At the outset of what shapes up to be a must-win season in the aftermath of the frustration of 2023, the Yankees will almost certainly be without the best pitcher on the planet.”