Clayton Beeter's brutal rehab outing made it clear his Yankees return must wait

Clayton Beeter's New York Yankees future has seemed less than secure ever since the injury bug struck in 2024. His stuff plays nicely out of the bullpen and, when healthy, he could be an ideal swing-and-miss hybrid for a 'pen that is always looking for more middle-innings filth. Unfortunately, the "when healthy" caveat has only loomed larger since his shoulder started barking — with a nebulous diagnosis to boot — last summer.

Beeter, at his best, could be a multi-inning eraser in the style of Michael King, another starter-turned-reliever who managed to shine so brightly that he eventually turned back. Unfortunately, shoulder injuries are far more unpredictable than elbows. Some pitchers never return after their lengthy absences. Some do come back, technically, but still can't regain their old form.

Beeter reported to spring training this season behind with a new bit of shoulder trauma. He worked his way back into being a late-season bullpen option in 2024 (after we all feared he was down for the year), but didn't have quite enough time to make the right impression, allowing a pair of runs to Baltimore before buzzsawing the Pirates in late September.

After a slowplay set him off course to start the year, Beeter is finally back in the swing of things — though he's missing the one key thing that makes the difference between great stuff and a great pitcher. His first rehab appearance of the season on April 20 in Tampa featured a blazing fastball and confounding breaking ball; he struck out four men in a perfect 1 1/3 innings.

He was then brought up to Double-A Somerset to continue on the path back to the bigs and, well ... the velocity was still hitting right on April 23, but the command was entirely gone. He peaked at near 99 and sat just below 97 MPH, working in a cutter to enhance his pitch mix. Unfortunately, none of it went where it was supposed to, and he surrendered three walks and three runs, recording just one out.

Yankees reliever Clayton Beeter's velocity returned, but his command did not in rehab outing with Double-A Somerset

The swings and misses ... great! Love to see it! Unfortunately, he threw only six additional pitches in the zone and couldn't shake the rust off.

Beeter proved in his initial rehab outing down in Tampa that the stuff is still within his right arm, and it'll still play ... eventually. Unfortunately, he proved in his second outing that his search for consistency still has a long way to go.

He'd be a fantastic big-league option in the King mold, but for now, he'll have to reset the clock down in the minors.