Yankees' Clayton Beeter: Could step into rotation

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Beeter is a candidate to claim a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation if Gerrit Cole (elbow) needs to miss time, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports.

Beeter has impressed in Grapefruit League play this spring, posting a 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over nine innings across three outings, including two starts. In the right-hander's most recent appearance, he recorded four scoreless frames with four strikeouts against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Cole has already undergone an MRI and is slated for additional testing on his pitching elbow, and manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Monday that the ace is unlikely to be ready for the start of the campaign, per Erik Boland of Newsday. Along with Beeter, fellow youngsters Will Warren and Luis Gil are candidates to fill in for Cole if he does indeed need to miss time, although Warren isn't on the 40-man roster.