Longshot for Yankees' playoff roster throws his name into the mix out of nowhere

There's no better motivational tactic than setting a high bar for one's self, and any pitcher who needs to manifest a glistening pie in a warmed-over sky during an extended injury rehab has our blessing to do so. That said ... no, Yankees top prospect Clayton Beeter does not seem like a very likely option for the team's 2024 playoff roster, even though he'd love Brian Cashman to reconsider.

That Beeter's even available at the end of 2024 feels like a significant upset; after one outing in Houston to mark his MLB debut, he was dismissed to the minors, where he made seven exceptional starts with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Of course, most minor-leaguers make more than seven starts in a typical season, so it can be surmised that mid-May was the point where Beeter ventured where no Yankees prospect likes to go: the 7-day injured list.

Was it a back spasm? A floating body in the elbow? A toaster to the groin? It's the minor-league IL; no one knows. As it turned out, Beeter was suffering from a shoulder injury, and given the lack of clarity that the Yankees provided at the time, it certainly seemed fair to bet against his return (and worry about the injury sapping his stuff).

And yet ... though it took three months, Beeter is back, delivering three shutout, one-hit frames with five strikeouts at Double-A Somerset to build himself up towards the end of the season. He'd love to be a weapon for the Yankees this October -- or, at least, that's the tale he's telling himself. It's a perfect motivational tactic, but he ... wasn't ... exactly ... established enough in the MLB bullpen before his injury lapse to be Brian Cashman's first call after shucking Mark Leiter Jr. off the playoff roster. He'd already been long demoted for more season when he went down for the count, of course.

Yankees Playoff Roster: Clayton Beeter wants to be in the mix

Beeter playing out a full season on the MLB roster after making the club out of spring training might've changed things drastically. He certainly provides a propensity for whiffing that the bullpen sorely lacked throughout the first half -- an unsolved trade deadline problem, thanks to Leiter Jr. doing whatever he's doing. He's struck out a career 421 men in 296 minor-league innings. His issue is not his stuff; his sharp breaking curveball and mid-90s fastball indicate that while he might need work as a starter, a few weeks of comfort could be all that's necessary to turn him into a relief weapon.

Unfortunately, though he was trending that way at the beginning of the year, it seems unlikely he'll be able to deliver on a ramped-up personal timeline. 2025 might be Beeter's season, but banking on an untested rookie in the campaign's biggest moments feels like a bridge too far.