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Clayton Beeter

Yankees Place Mark Leiter Jr. On IL With Fibular Head Stress Fracture

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The Yankees announced today that right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left fibular head stress fracture. No timeline for his absence has been provided. Righty Clayton Beeter has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Leiter told reporters, including Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media, that he suffered the injury while covering first base in a game against the Reds on June 24th. As seen in this video from MLB.com, Leiter was racing Elly De La Cruz to first and landed a bit awkwardly around the bag. Remarkably, he stayed in the game at that point and has also made four appearances since suffering that fracture.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his results have taken a step back since he’s been pitching through the injury. After De La Cruz was safe at first, he then allowed a single, uncorked a wild pitch, issued a walk and allowed another single, taking the loss in that game. In the four subsequent outings, he allowed five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Prior to the injury, his results were quite strong. Going into that game where he suffered the fracture, he had a 3.48 earned run average in 31 innings. His 32.1% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate were all well above average. He recorded two saves and ten holds out of Aaron Boone’s bullpen.

Losing that arm is another blow for the Yankee staff. He is now the eighth pitcher on the club’s IL. The starting staff is without Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Ryan Yarbrough, while the bullpen is down Leiter, Jake Cousins, Fernando Cruz and Yerry De los Santos.

Understandably, as the bodies have been piling up, the club has hit a rough skid. They were victorious in Sunday’s game against the Mets, which snapped a six-game losing streak. Four of those six losses came against the surging Blue Jays, who took over first place in the American League East in the process.

As mentioned, it’s unclear how long Leiter should be down. Since he was able to pitch through the injury, perhaps he will only require a minimum stint on the IL. However, all contending clubs look for bullpen upgrades at the deadline and the recent spate of injuries suffered by the Yankees should only increase their urgency in that department.

Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images

Yankees Designate Geoff Hartlieb For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that right-hander Clayton Beeter has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow righty Geoff Hartlieb has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The 31-year-old Hartlieb only joined the Yankees yesterday. He pitched one inning, was tagged for three runs in that lone appearance, and will now give way to a fresh arm. It’s not how Hartlieb envisioned his call-up in the Bronx going, particularly not after such a strong performance in Triple-A. He pitched 35 innings for the Yankees’ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate and logged a 3.34 ERA with a 26.2% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. That success came with some tweaks to his pitch usage, as the Yankees have had Hartlieb throw his slider at the highest rate of his career so far in 2025.

Hartlieb won’t get the chance to rebound from that rough outing — at least not with the Yankees’ big league club. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. He’s been outrighted in the past, so if he goes unclaimed, he could reject an outright assignment to the minors and instead choose free agency.

The Yankees were Hartlieb’s fifth big league club. He’s also pitched with the Pirates, Mets, Rockies and Marlins. The right-hander has logged only 80 1/3 innings in the majors and been tagged for an unsightly 7.62 ERA. Hartlieb carries a much more presentable 4.17 ERA in 261 Triple-A innings.

Yankees Place Eight Players On Injured List

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The Yankees announced eight injured list placements on Wednesday afternoon. Clarke Schmidt (rotator cuff tendinitis), JT Brubaker (rib fractures), Clayton Beeter (shoulder impingement), Ian Hamilton (virus), Scott Effross (hamstring strain) and Jonathan Loáisiga (rehab from elbow surgery) all landed on the 15-day injured list. As position players, Giancarlo Stanton (elbow epicondylitis) and DJ LeMahieu (calf strain) went on the 10-day IL. All placements were retroactive to March 24, the earliest date for 10-day or 15-day stints.

None of the moves come as a surprise. Loáisiga has been rehabbing last April’s UCL procedure and will be out at least into May. Stanton didn’t participate in Spring Training and faces an uncertain recovery timeline because of injuries to both elbows. Beeter has been throwing side sessions but didn’t see any game action in camp due to the shoulder issue. LeMahieu, Schmidt, Brubaker and Effross all suffered injuries in Spring Training. Hamilton isn’t hurt but didn’t make his Spring Training debut until last Thursday after being delayed by illness. He needs a couple weeks to continue his build-up.

The only surprise is that the Yanks did not place Jake Cousins on the 15-day IL this afternoon. He was delayed by a forearm strain and did not pitch in games this spring. Cousins has been throwing side sessions but it seems unlikely that the team would throw him directly into regular season action without any Spring Training appearances. It’s possible they’ll make another move when they officially set their Opening Day roster tomorrow.

One player who’ll certainly be on that roster: catcher J.C. Escarra. The Yankees announced over the weekend that the 29-year-old (30 next month) made the team, providing social media video of manager Aaron Boone informing him of that decision. Escarra secures the backup job behind Austin Wells and will make his major league debut once he gets into a game. The Yankees placed him on their 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason so he wouldn’t reach minor league free agency.

A left-handed hitter, Escarra combined for a .261/.355/.434 line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts across 493 minor league plate appearances last season. The Yankees cleared a path for him to grab the backup job by trading Jose Trevino and Carlos Narváez over the winter. The spot was Escarra’s to lose entering camp, and he solidified it by hitting .302 with three homers in 19 games. Escarra was playing in the independent ranks and in Mexico as recently as 2023. Two years later, he’s breaking camp with an MLB team.

Yankees Move Clayton Beeter To Relief Pitching

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Clayton Beeter has started 83 of his 92 career minor league games, but going forward, the right-hander will be used as a relief pitcher, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.  “As we got through last year, [Beeter’s] fastball-slider mix is super powerful and is best suited for relief,” Blake said.  “We decided to lean into the swing-and-miss of the fastball at the top of the zone and the slider at the bottom.  We thought it might even play up in short bursts.”

The news isn’t too surprising, as ever since Beeter was a second-round selection for the Dodgers in the 2020 draft, some pundits have felt he would ultimately end up as a reliever at the big league level.  Baseball America placed Beeter 21st on its most recent ranking of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects, and described the righty as a potential candidate for multi-inning relief work.  The 26-year-old Beeter has actually only pitched in the majors as a reliever, as all three of his MLB appearances (3 2/3 total innings) came out of New York’s bullpen last season.

As Blake noted, Beeter relies heavily on a two-pitch arsenal, with a changeup and curveball used sparingly at the Triple-A level.  Beeter’s fastball generally sits in the low 90’s but has topped out at 96mph, according to BA’s scouting report, and more velocity could be unlocked with this move to the bullpen.  Beeter’s 60-grade slider is his most effective pitch, helping fuel much of the strikeout ability he has exhibited over his minor league career.  Across an even 300 innings in the minors, Beeter has a very impressive 33.1% strikeout rate.

All those missed bats have come with a 12.7% walk rate, and the lack of control is another reason why the Yankees feel Beeter might benefit most from relief work.  There’s also the health factor — Beeter was limited to 39 innings over 12 appearances in 2024 after shoulder problems cost him close to four months of the Triple-A season.  Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty) earlier this week that Beeter was dealing with another “shoulder issue” during the offseason but is back throwing side sessions.

Shifting Beeter to the pen makes sense as a bigger-picture move in the pitcher’s career, and the Yankees have enough rotation options on hand that they can probably afford to remove a starter from the depth chart.  The club has six starting candidates on the active roster alone depending on Marcus Stroman’s status as either a reliever or possible trade chip, and such pitchers as Will Warren, Yoendrys Gomez, and Brent Headrick are available at Triple-A.  New York also brought in Allan Winans on a waiver claim, and signed longtime veteran Carlos Carrasco to a minor league contract.

Since Beeter has two minor league options remaining, Sherman suggests that the right-hander will probably begin the 2025 season in Triple-A.  This will also allow Beeter to more fully ramp up after his injury-plagued 2024 campaign, and get used to his new bullpen role.  If all goes well, Beeter should receive a call-up at some point next season once injuries or a need for a fresh arm inevitably arises, and he’ll then get a chance to carve out a spot for himself as a regular member of the Yankees’ relief corps.

Yankees Notes: Cousins, Trivino, LeMahieu

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The Yankees placed right-hander Jake Cousins on the 15-day injured list today, and called up righty Clayton Beeter from Triple-A to fill Cousins’ spot in the bullpen.  Cousins’ placement is retroactive to September 20, which is the day after Cousins last pitched, and was pulled after facing two batters due to what was eventually diagnosed as a right pec strain.

The IL trip ends Cousins’ regular season, but potentially not his 2024 campaign as a whole, depending on his recovery and how far the Yankees might advance in the playoffs.  As per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (X link), Cousins will visit with doctors tomorrow in New York and he could potentially start throwing within a week’s time.  Since the Yankees are on the verge of clinching the AL East and earning a first-round bye, that gives Cousins some extra time to heal up and get back to game fitness, provided that his strain isn’t too serious.

This is Cousins’ second IL stint of the season but his first on the Major League injured list, as he missed over two months of action when playing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres earlier this year.  The Yankees recalled Cousins back to the Show shortly after he returned from the Triple-A IL, and the results have been largely tremendous.

Cousins has a 2.37 ERA and a 34.2% strikeout rate over 38 relief innings for New York.  While a .208 BABIP has helped paper over a subpar 12.9% walk rate, Cousins’ ability to miss bats and limit hard contact has made him a very useful member of the Yankees relief corps.

It has essentially been a return to the form Cousins showed with the Brewers in 2021-22, before a UCL injury and shoulder problems cut short his 2022 season and perhaps contributed to a 2023 season that saw him toss only 9 1/3 MLB innings.  After going to the Astros on a waiver claim last summer and then to the White Sox on a minor league deal during the offseason, Cousins was traded from Chicago to New York just after Opening Day, sparking Cousins’ career revival.

While Cousins had a successful return from an injury-plagued stretch of his career, the same unfortunately can’t be said of Lou Trivino, whose 2024 season now looks to be over.  Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Hoch (X link) and other reporters that Trivino is dealing with “shoulder stuff” and has been shut down.  Trivino will finish his season with 11 minor league innings pitched, in the form of five innings in as many appearances with Double-A Somerset and then six innings in six appearances at the Triple-A level.

Trivino hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, as he missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023.  Some elbow inflammation delayed the start of his minor league rehab assignment until this past August, and now this shoulder issue has ended any chance Trivino had of getting any sort of MLB action under his belt before the regular season was over.

The Yankees chose to non-tender Trivino last November, but then re-signed him to a guaranteed Major League contract worth $1.5MM in 2024 with a $5MM club option for 2025.  That option seems like a lock to be declined, though it is possible New York again re-signs Trivino at a lower price tag.

In other injury news out of the Bronx, Boone told reporters yesterday that DJ LeMahieu has started to hit off a tee as he continues his recovery from a hip impingement.  LeMahieu isn’t expected to return before the regular season is over, but he could potentially be a roster option for the postseason depending on his health or New York’s roster needs.  LeMahieu has been out since the start of September with his hip injury and also missed the first two months of the season with a foot issue — in between, the veteran infielder struggled to a .204/.269/.259 slash line over 228 plate appearances.

Yankees Sign Thomas Pannone To Minor League Deal

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Left-hander Thomas Pannone has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had previously been with the Cubs on a minor league deal but was released earlier this week.

Pannone, 30, was working out of the rotation for Triple-A Iowa prior to his release and was putting up decent numbers, so it’s possible that he triggered some kind of opt-opt. After signing a minor league deal with the Cubs in the winter, he logged 90 2/3 innings over 19 starts with a 4.37 earned run average, 22% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 42% ground ball rate. The run-scoring environment in the International League has been pretty strong this year, with pitchers in the IL having a combined 4.90 ERA. Pannone’s 4.37 mark is 12th out of 29 qualified pitchers in that league.

The Yanks have a strong rotation at the major league level right now but their depth has taken a few hits. Though Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman and Luis Gil have the five big league spots, guys like Clarke Schmidt, JT Brubaker, Cody Poteet and Clayton Beeter are all injured. Schmidt went on the injured list in late May due to a lat strain and still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. Poteet landed on the IL about a month ago due to a right triceps strain and he hasn’t started a rehab assignment yet either. Brubaker was rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery but was recently shut down with an oblique strain. Beeter has some kind of shoulder issue and might be done for the season, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post on X.

Since Pannone has been in decent form this year, the Yanks will bring him aboard to replace some of that missing depth. He has 118 2/3 innings of major league experience with the Blue Jays and Brewers with a 5.46 ERA in that time. He also spent parts of 2022 and 2023 in Korea, tossing 165 innings for the KBO’s Kia Tigers with a 3.49 ERA. If Pannone is added to New York’s roster at any point, he is out of options.

Yankees To Select Tanner Tully

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The Yankees are set to option right-hander Clayton Beeter and select the contract of left-hander Tanner Tully, manager Aaron Boone announced before today’s game (X link via Greg Joyce of the New York Post). They’ll need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move, but the Yankees have not yet announced what that’ll be.

Tully, 29, has just six major league innings under his belt — all coming with the 2022 Guardians. He allowed four runs on eight hits and six walks in that short sample of work. Cleveland selected Tully in the 26th round back in 2016, and he spent the next seven seasons in their system, working primarily as a starting pitcher in the minors. Following that cup of coffee in the majors in ’22, he was removed from the 40-man roster and became a free agent, ultimately signing a minor league deal with the Yankees.

It proved to be a brief stint with the Yankees, as Tully made 19 starts in Triple-A before being granted his release to sign with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization. He made 11 starts for the Dinos in the final couple months of the season, tossing 64 2/3 frames of 2.92 ERA ball with a 17.7% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 59.6% ground-ball rate. The Yankees brought Tully back on a minor league deal over the winter, and he’ll now make his first appearance on the big league roster.

The Yankees burned through five relievers yesterday after Carlos Rodon lasted only 4 1/3 innings in his first start of the year. They also needed four innings from the ’pen following a five-inning Opening Day outing by Nestor Cortes. Tully will provide a multi-inning option to give them some length in the event of a short start from Marcus Stroman or should the game get out of hand one way or another. In parts of five Triple-A seasons, Tully has a 5.06 ERA with an 18.7% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate. He pitched six innings for the Yankees this spring and yielded one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Yankees Name Luis Gil Fifth Starter; DJ LeMahieu To Start Season On IL

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced to the club’s beat last night that right-hander Luis Gil will be the club’s fifth starter to open the season, with Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relaying video of his comments on X. Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports today that right-hander Clayton Beeter has made the club, though Sherman adds it’s possible that a roster move in the coming days could lead to Beeter getting optioned (X links). Boone also says infielder DJ LeMahieu will start the season on the injured list, with Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News among those to relay the news.

A spot opened up at the back of the Yankee rotation with the recent injury to ace Gerrit Cole, who underwent various tests on his right elbow. Cole was recommended for non-surgical rehab for nerve inflammation and edema. Though it was surely good news that surgery wasn’t being recommended, the club would still need to figure out a plan to proceed without him for an undetermined amount of time, perhaps months.

Without Cole, four spots were taken by Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt, leaving one open for a camp battle. As time went on, it seemed to come down to Gil and prospect Will Warren, with Gil getting the gig yesterday. Shortly after Boone announced Gil got the final spot, Warren was reassigned to minor league camp.

Gil, 26 in June, had an encouraging major league debut late in the 2021 season, as he posted an earned run average of 3.07 in six starts. He struck out a strong 29.5% of batters faced, though he also gave out free passes at a 14.7% rate. He would have been looking to build on that in 2022 but unfortunately landed on the injured list after just one start and eventually required Tommy John surgery in May. That put him out of action for the remainder of that season and most of 2023 as well. He returned to official game action in the minors leagues late last year, logging four innings in September.

That will likely leave Gil with some kind of workload limit here in 2024, since he hardly pitched over the past two years. In 2021, he logged 29 1/3 innings in the majors and 79 1/3 in the minors for a combined total of 108 2/3, his highest in any season thus far. He had a 3.97 ERA in those minor league innings that year. The minor leagues were canceled in 2020, meaning he wasn’t able to pitch in any official capacity.

Taking all of that into consideration, Gil shouldn’t be counted on to suddenly shoulder 200 innings this year, but the Yanks will stick with him as long he’s in good form and will presumably make a decision about the workload later. He posted a 2.87 ERA this spring with a 37.7% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate. In January, it was reported that the Yankees were awarded a fourth option on Gil, meaning they can send him to the minors at some point down the road.

Warren, 25 in June, is one of the club’s best pitching prospects. He threw 129 innings last year between Double-A and Triple-A with a 3.35 ERA, then had a 3.52 ERA here in spring action. He’s not yet on the 40-man roster, so it would have been a little bit trickier to pick him over Gil. But given his larger innings tally last year, he could be called upon later in the season if Gil needs to be shut down or if someone else gets hurt.

As for Beeter, 25, he’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He was just added to the club’s roster in November, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He had a 3.62 ERA last year, over 131 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 28.8% of batters though had a concerning walk rate of 13.1%. He’ll break into the majors out of the bullpen, presumably providing the club some long relief innings alongside veteran Luke Weaver.

On the position player side of things, it was reported a week ago that LeMahieu was questionable for Opening Day after fouling a ball off his foot. It doesn’t seem as though it’s a terribly serious injury, but it’s enough to keep him from being available to start the season. Opening Day IL stints can be backdated by three days, so it’s possible he will just miss a week if he’s able to get over the issue in short order.

Though it may not be a long absence, it’s still not ideal for the 35-year-old to be dealing with an injury yet again. He dealt with quad and calf soreness last year and produced a roughly league average line of .243/.327/.390, wRC+ of 101. The Yanks would obviously love to have more, especially since LeMahieu hit .336/.386/.536 over 2019 and 2020. Boone said LeMahieu looked “more explosive” back in February, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, though he’s now once again hobbled by an unfortunate ailment.

In the meantime, Oswaldo Cabrera could step into the everyday third base role, which will leave open a bench role for someone like Jahmai Jones or Kevin Smith. Cabrera hit .247/.312/.429 in 2022 but then dropped to .211/.275/.299 last year, that latter line translating to a wRC+ of just 60. Smith isn’t on the 40-man roster but the Yanks could transfer Cole or Oswald Peraza to the 60-day injured list to open a spot. Peraza is going to be out of action for six to eight weeks due to a shoulder strain.

As clubs around the league cut down their rosters, there are plenty of guys getting cut loose who may pique the interest of the Yankees. As mentioned up top with Beeter, he could wind up getting optioned if the Yankees find a pitcher they like on waivers or someone entering free agency via a release or opt-out. The same could perhaps be true of their bench, as Cabrera steps in for LeMahieu.

Yankees Select Agustin Ramirez, Clayton Beeter

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The Yankees announced that they have selected the contracts of right-hander Clayton Beeter and catcher Agustin Ramirez. Today is the deadline for a club to add players to its 40-man roster in order to protect them from being eligible in the Rule 5 draft.

Beeter, 25, was selected by the Dodgers with the 66th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He came to the Yanks in the 2022 deadline deal that sent Joey Gallo to Los Angeles. Beeter split the 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A, tossing 131 2/3 innings over 27 appearances, 26 starts. He struck out an impressive 28.8% of batters faced on the year but also issued walks at a 13.1% clip. That lack of control is nothing new, as he has walked 12.6% of batters faced in his minor league career overall.

Ramirez, 22, was signed as an international amateur out of Venezuela in 2018. In 2023, he spent time in Single-A, High-A and Double-A, getting 492 plate appearances in total. He launched 18 home runs in that time and also stole 12 bases. He walked in 12.4% of his trips to the plate while limiting his strikeouts to a 17.3% clip.

Baseball America currently lists Beeter as the club’s #20 prospect and Ramirez at #24. The former will give club some optionable pitching depth on the roster while Ramirez will add to a catching mix that is already somewhat crowded. Jose Trevino, Kyle Higashioka, Austin Wells, Ben Rortvedt and Carlos Narvaez are also on the 40-man, giving the Yanks six backstops on the roster, an unusually high number. It was reported last month that the club is signaling that they are willing to trade from their surplus in that department.

MLB Announces Futures Game Rosters

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Major League Baseball announced rosters for the 2023 Futures Game this evening. The contest — a seven-inning exhibition between some of the sport’s most talented minor leaguers — kicks off All-Star festivities in Seattle on Saturday, July 8.

As Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com notes, 28 of the 50 players on the roster are included on MLB Pipeline’s recent Top 100 prospects list. Six of Pipeline’s top ten will participate. The full rosters (MLB Pipeline prospect rank included, if applicable):

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