Clayton Beeter: What to know about pitcher Yankees received in Joey Gallo trade

The New York Yankees were able to procure an asset for struggling slugger Joey Gallo ahead of MLB’s trade deadline on Tuesday.

Clayton Beeter, the 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher the Yankees received from the Los Angeles Dodgers, is an intriguing prospect who was assigned to the Double-A Somerset Patriots, the Yankees announced on Wednesday.

The trade, confirmed by USA TODAY baseball columnist Bob Nightengale, is pending a medical review and should be completed soon, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Ranked as the 15th-best prospect in the Dodgers system by Baseball America, Beeter has largely struggled with command throughout his minor-league career, with this season being no exception. Largely serving as an opener and not a true starter since being selected with the 66th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Beeter would come to Somerset with an 0-3 record and 5.75 ERA in 18 appearances this season, walking 35 batters compared to 88 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings of work.

A one-time standout closer at Texas Tech, scouting reports have the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder using a curveball-fastball mix, with the latter sitting at 93-95 mph and sometimes touching 98.

That same Baseball America Prospect Handbook report – in which Beeter was ranked 12th heading into the season, but slid down a few slots in the mid-season update due to some struggles – also has him “rarely” throwing a “below-average, low 80s changeup” and projects him as being “universally seen as a future reliever” although noting that the stuff is good enough to one day potentially slot into the back end of a big-league bullpen.

For now, Beeter could replace Luis Medina in Somerset’s starting rotation, as Medina was one of four prospects sent to Oakland – along with Hudson Valley infielder Cooper Bowman and fellow Somerset alums J.P. Sears and Ken Waldichuk – in exchange for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Clayton Beeter: Meet Yankees pitcher from Joey Gallo trade